Teach Me
by StrawberryKris
Summary: Set on Ember Island, several weeks away from the comet. The Gaang has a plan to win this war, but how will they work around a tragedy involving the Gaang's ability to bend? Zutara! Finally completed. Reviews always warmly welcomed :)
1. The End of Normalcy

**Teach Me How - Chapter One**

Staring at the ceiling, Zuko sighed as he saw the slow creep of dawn encompass the room. Closing his eyes, he wished that he could refuse the slow burning awakening within him. Alas, as he had once stated with a cocky confidence, he rose with the sun, and thus as dawn broke over Ember Island, it was time for him to arise. He sat up, stretching out his limbs after a heavy sleep and a heavier few months of training. The comet was still weeks away, but they all had lots of work to do before their fast approaching deadline. They couldn't afford to slack off now, especially after that horrid play had sucked a whole day out of their training schedule. He stood up, stretched, and went to summon his pupil.

Down the hall of the Fire Lord's beach house, Aang rubbed his eyes sleepily as a beam of sunlight shone over him. He was getting used to his fire bending teacher coming for him at the crack of dawn, and was proud of the fact that he was beginning to feel the slow burn of sunrise in his veins each morning. Every avatar in the past had years to master all four elements, whilst Aang had less than a full year. Despite the time constraints, the young avatar was doing well – a little slow for some's liking regarding the deadline, but it was an incredible feat none the less.

As predicted, a soft rapping on Aang's door soon followed, signalling the beginning of another day of training. The young avatar stood, mentally preparing himself for the tough day ahead.

/

While the two firebenders continued their sets, the rest of the house soon awoke. Katara considered waking Toph, but decided that an argument was not the way she wanted to begin her day. She knew Sokka and Suki would likely still be in bed, and she didn't want to interrupt god-knows-what-happens in the morning for them. She chuckled, admiring the fact they could find happiness in the bleakness that was the war. As she head towards the kitchen, she saw Aang and Zuko from the corner of her eye. Katara had spent several mornings watching their training, and she was impressed at the speed at which Aang seemed to be improving. Sure, Zuko was tough and said over and over that he had a long ways to go, but Aang was producing controlled fire and he was growing every single day. The movements that the boys went through in their sets intimidated Katara – they were nothing like the fluidity she had mastered within her own element. Then again, at least it was more graceful than earthbending. Or, well, maybe more graceful than Toph's earthbending.

The rest of the day panned out like any other – Sokka awoke demanding food, Toph barged her way in and stole Aang away for training, and Katara practiced her bending in between watching everyone else train and taking her mind off things by completing chores. Suki helped where she could, but she and Sokka spent most of their time improving their hand-to-hand combat skills, strategizing and… well… Katara didn't want to think too much into what _else_ the two non-benders may be doing during their long absences. She was absentmindedly drying a dish when a warm hand touched her shoulder.

"Let me dry, we'll get it done faster." Zuko offered, a small smile playing on his lips.

"Oh, is that so? Am I not fast enough for his highness?" Katara bantered, cocking an eyebrow at her friend. Ah, friend. It had taken many weeks – and one long, bad-ass adventure after the Southern Raiders – but Katara could happily now call Zuko a friend. Despite their new found friendship, she enjoyed arguing with the exiled prince, finding that their tempers flared at an almost matched rate on some days.

"Well, can't expect much from a water peasant now can we?" Zuko retaliated, taking the plate from Katara's hands. Steam immediately arose from the porcelain dish, and Zuko's small smile grew into a large, smug smirk. As he turned around to place it in its rightful place, he felt a sharp sting on his shoulder. Yelping in surprise, he whipped his head towards Katara, to see her right hand enveloped in a water tentacle.

"Be careful there hotman, I may be a peasant, but I have no issues with attacking exiled royalty." Katara's face mimicked his, a brash grin on her face as she whipped him on the forehead with a flick of her wrist. She wasn't aiming to hurt – just maybe his pride. Or his goddamn insufferable honour.

"You _so_ don't want to do this." Zuko lit his right hand with his flame, throwing sparks and embers in Katara's general direction. Since their trip, Zuko found that arguing with Katara was more cathartic than he may have imagined. He felt like he could be himself – a seventeen year old boy. No princely title, no family name to uphold – just Zuko, the awkward, somewhat anti-social boy with some minor anger issues. He only wished his uncle was around to enjoy it as much as he was.

"Oh, but _I_ do!" A new voice rung through the kitchen, and both the waterbender and firebender spun to see a shadow looming in the doorway. "What's say we have a little pro-bending rumble between the three of us?" Toph pointed a finger each at Katara and Zuko, before banging her chest with her thumb. "If you're not scared, that is."

"What about Aang's training?" Katara quipped, not yet dissolving her water covered arm.

"He's had enough of earth today he says, wanted to go off and mediate for a while before you ran him through the ringer when the moon was up Sweetness."

"You're on!"

/

"The rules are simple. The first to cry out they surrender, loses. No lethal blows! Aaaaand…. BEND!" Sokka's voice rang through the arena, which had been masterfully crafted by Toph on the beach below Zuko's family's house. The arena had sand, solid earth and water in reach, and the perimeter was separated by large pillars of rock. Suki, Sokka and Aang sat on a tall sand dune, overlooking the fight. Aang had convinced himself that watching his three masters fight would help give him insight on how to use the elements in harmony, and also where each weakness lay in the elements. He originally requested he join in the brawl, but was swiftly shut down by his three masters. He needed to save his strength and focus on building skill, not getting hurt in a brawl. Besides, everyone else was restless – when they weren't teaching him, they weren't doing much at all.

Toph attacked first, sending a fissure in the earth between Katara and the ocean, hoping to slow down her attack. She shifted her focus to Zuko a second later, hearing the trained prince move from the solid rock of the arena to the sand, where he hoped he could dull her senses. The blind bandit smirked. She had been practicing sand bending, and was getting better and better at "seeing" through the shifty earth. She sent a slab of earth under his feet, but he leapt out of the way easily, shooting a blast of fire towards her feet.

"Playing dirty there Sparky!" Toph exclaimed, her unseeing milky eyes glaring in his general direction. "Two can play at that game!" With the slightest shift of her ankle, Toph sent another three pillars of rock towards Zuko, approaching him from various angles. Again he dodged, barely rolling out of the way before his ankle was caught in the mass of earth. Using her opponent's distraction to her advantage, Katara had been swallowing herself in water, preparing her octopus formation to attack both benders simultaneously. She swiftly and fluidly sent a spire of water under Toph's feet, freezing them and blinding her as it were. Toph threw up blocks of rock around her, shielding herself from the onslaught that followed. Katara had turned her attention to Zuko, whipping at him as she had this morning – except with less playfulness and more competitiveness. He deflected her blows, countering with his own fire blasts. Steam filled the arena, making it hard for the onlookers to see. In the time it took for the steam to clear, Toph had broken the ice beneath her feet, freeing herself and restoring her sight. Katara dowsed her again with water, and Toph retaliated by flinging mud at both of her opponents.

"Now everyone's fighting dirty!" Sokka exclaimed, throwing his hands up in the air with glee. "You all look ridiculous!" Suddenly, without even a look or a word shared between them, the three masters redirected their attacks. At Sokka.

Toph and Katara seamlessly shot mud towards Sokka, whose mouth was agape with surprise. Zuko zoomed around behind the dune where he sat, and emitted enough heat to solidify the mud on Sokka's features. Suki and Aang were rolling around with laughter, whilst Sokka mumbled incessantly about "why me" and "stupid magic water" and "benders, always benders".

"Stop! Stop!" He finally cried as Toph and Katara sent another mass of mud his way. "I surrender!" He pouted under the coating of mud.

"Well, that was _so_ worth it!" Toph exclaimed.

"You guys ganged up on me!" Sokka shrieked, his voice muffled as his face was stiff with hardened mud.

"It wasn't a hard choice there Sokka!" Katara laughed, high-fiving Toph and walking up towards the rest of the gang. "You can only blame yourself."

"Just clean me up…" Sokka cried, trying to hide his face from Suki. "Don't look at me Suki, I'm a muddy monster!"

"Aw, I thought it looked dashing on you!" Suki giggled, punching her boyfriend playfully on the arm. Sokka's cries of frustration intensified, and Toph rolled her unseeing eyes.

"Oh give me a break."

/

After cleaning up, the gang split off again, the dishes that started the scuffle long forgotten. Katara and Aang stayed on the beach, her teaching time beginning earlier than usual. Aang had said that he would rather practice waterbending than go back to meditating, even without the moon out. Katara obliged, feeling fired up from her short lived brawl. Katara had promised to help Aang master the eight-pronged octopus form she had created, also promising to show him how to really use it. She was prepared to simultaneously attack Toph and Zuko, but, well, things didn't go as planned.

"You're really strong Katara," Aang started during their moveset "I was sure you were going to win."

"Thanks Aang, but I'm glad that it ended like it did. Better Sokka suffer than any of us!" Katara smiled sweetly, her focus totally on her form. She enjoyed Aang's company and his conversations – she really did – but when she was teaching, she preferred that to be the focus.

"Yeah!" Aang laughed. "You're all so stubborn, who knows what would have happened!" Katara rolled her eyes, directing her pupil's attention back to the water.

"You need to concentrate Aang. I can tell that working with Zuko and Toph changes the way you bend – I think it's got to do with your form. When you come to me and call to the water, you need to be more fluid. Feel your weight shift through the motions…"

Their session went until well after the moon arose, with Sokka yelling at them to come get food. He and Suki had travelled into the nearby market, meaning that Katara wasn't required to cook. She enjoyed the days where the rest of the gang took charge of the little things, like cooking and cleaning. Since moving into Zuko's old family home, life had become easier for the gang. They no longer had to forage for food, and they were sleeping in comfort, which meant they could train harder. She smiled to herself, proud of her friends for making it this far. For the first time in forever, she had hope. Real, true, deserved hope. They could do this. Aang could do this.

The gang sat around the campfire that night, munching on fireflakes and skewers of exotic meats and vegetables, staring up at the starry sky. The moon was full and illuminated the beach in a soft, otherworldly glow. The gang laughed about training, and pondered life after the war. Nights like these made all their hard work worth it. Their little family had been through so much, but on nights like these, it didn't matter.

/

Toph left early, stating that she was tired, but truly leaving so she could avoid the clean-up that would follow. Suki fell asleep on Sokka's shoulder, and after the flames Zuko had started settled down into embers, he carried her off into the house, bidding Aang, Zuko and Katara goodnight.

"Should we go to bed too, Katara?" Aang offered, standing up and stretching. Katara shook her head, indicating at the pile of dishes suspiciously left around the campfire.

"I think I'll clean this all up, I'm still kind of awake – you know, full moon and all." Aang nodded in understanding, his eyes soon shifting between Katara and Zuko. It wasn't that he didn't like Zuko – heck, he was the first one to vouch for him joining their group – but ever since their trip away, he felt that their relationship had changed. Inwardly Aang shook his head – a change in their friendship was for the better. He was emotionally exhausted having to play messenger and peace-bringer between the two for so long. At least they got along now. He bid the two older teens goodnight, and slowly walked towards the house, Momo perched comfortably on his head.

"I don't really want to get up." Katara mused, holding her knees close to her chest. "Being the grown up around here sucks."

"I know right, I'll bet you ten gold pieces that Toph left just so she didn't get stuck with any of the clean up!" Katara laughed, knowing fully well that Zuko was right. But with the moon above her and everything feeling so right in the world, she couldn't be angry.

"Oh well. It'll get done… eventually."

"I'll help – I didn't exactly finish helping this morning. Sorry about that." From across the fire, Zuko shot Katara an apologetic smile. Their whole day would have gone very differently if he hadn't offered to help… or if he had done so in a less competitive manner.

"It's okay. It was nice kicking Sokka's butt!" She chuckled, and then sighed, pulling herself up from her comfortable seat on the sand. "Well, I spose we best get to work…"

The two worked in synchrony, piling up the dishes and dousing the flames before heading towards the house. Once in the kitchen, Katara began cleaning the dishes with her bending, and Zuko dried them with his. The pair didn't talk, but the silence was nothing but comfortable. After the menial task was completed, Katara broke their silence.

"You're doing really well with Aang, you know. I'm no firebender, but I can tell he's improving a lot." Zuko was slightly taken aback, not used to compliments, _especially_ regarding his training with the Avatar.

"Oh… thanks. He's doing alright. It's hard, because I know I was nowhere near as good as him at this stage. But he doesn't have the luxury of not being the best."

"No need to be so solemn Zuko. We can do this. I feel it. Everything… it's going to be okay. Aang's got three masters teaching him. We still have weeks. What on earth could go wrong?"

If only Katara knew.

/

Katara woke the next morning earlier than usual, rolling over in her bed covering her face to try salvage a few more minutes of slumber. Sunlight was barely beaming through her window and she could hear snoring from down the hall, mentally assuming it was her brother's. She cursed the full moon, wondering if it was the reason for her early rise.

Unbeknownst to her, down the hall laid Zuko, softly snoring as sunlight gently filled his room.

Sokka and Suki lay sprawled across their bed, deeply asleep.

Aang was dreaming.

And Toph awoke screaming.

 ** _So there you have it folks! My first dive back into fanfiction in many, many years. Can't guarantee I will update often, that the chapters will be this length, or if you will even like it, but here we are! Let me know how you like it. If enough people are interested, I'll continue!_**

 ** _Also - I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender! That's all Bryke. And I have watched all of ATLA and TLOK, and will be deviating from cannon. I am a huge Zutara shipper, and will never forgive them for not making it cannon. That's why I'm here!_**

 ** _Thanks guys! And it is good to be back._**


	2. Disconnected

**Chapter Two:**

"I. Can't. See!" Toph wailed, hyperventilating. "I'm blind!"

"Toph… I don't know how to break it to you…" Sokka soothed, patting the younger girl on the back.

"No Snoozles, you don't get it! I can't _see_!"

"Toph…" Aang gently said, sitting down next to her. "What do you mean?"

"I _mean_ , I can't _see you with my feet_. I'm blank. Nothing. I see nothing. I can't bend. It's like you've got me falling in mid-air and there is no earth under my feet, _except_ I can _feel the earth under my feet!"_ If Toph's voice became any higher in pitch, windows would have shattered. Aang looked up at the rest of the gang concerned, and each one of them responded with a shrug.

"OK, has this ever happened before?" Sokka asked, his voice uneasy.

"Nope."

"And is it completely gone, or is it just dulled?" Zuko offered, sleepily. "I thought my firebending was gone up at the air temple, but it was just…"

"No, it's gone. Gone gone gone. I can't _feel_ the earth. I can't see." Toph's blind eyes welled up with tears, her hands rubbing the earth, searching for sight. "And I can't bend."

"Maybe something has happened to earth benders?" Suki suggested, turning to Aang. "Aang, is your earthbending OK?" Aang responded by moving the rocks in the room, facing Suki with a distraught shake of his head.

"Katara, maybe you could try healing her? Maybe she slept funny and blocked her own chi?" Sokka looked lost for any other answers, and Katara responded with a similar look of sadness.

"I can definitely try. Let me get my flask." Katara ran out of the room, and the silence in the room was deafening until her return. She popped open the flask, and took a deep breath.

Her hand waved.

Then it waved again.

Sokka cleared his throat, trying to break the silence in the room. He could see the sweat on Katara's forehead, and he knew his sister wasn't just responding to the humidity of the Fire Nation.

"I think we have a bigger problem on our hands…"

"I… I can't… I can't feel the water. I can't… it's not responding…" Katara's usually steady voice wavered, her breath short. She looked over at Aang, who wordlessly pulled the water from her gourd over to his hand and manipulated it effortlessly.

"I'm sorry Katara…" Aang's eyes quickly turned to Zuko. "Zuko?"

"Wha-me? What did I do?"

"No! I think he wants you to bend. To prove it's not just…" Suki piped up, unable to offer anything further. Zuko nodded, and took a deep breath.

Nothing happened.

"Now, no one panic…" he started, sheepishly looking through his overgrown bangs.

"So, let me get this straight." Toph stood up, her cheeks stained with silent tears. "I can't bend or see. Katara can't bend or heal. And sparky can't bend. But Aang can."

"That there would be the facts." Sokka responded.

"And how far away is the comet?"

"A few weeks from now."

"So how do we make Aang ready when Team Avatar _can't bend_?" Toph stomped her foot, an action that normally would have usually sent someone flying. Instead, all that the team could see was an adolescent stomping her bare foot against the hard ground, with the air buzzing with palpable tension.

"We need to calm down, and I'm sure we can figure it out." Aang turned around, facing everyone in turn. "It will be OK. We just need a moment."

/

Slowly, one by one, Toph's room emptied. Katara made her way to the kitchen, not knowing what else to offer but food to try and comfort the broken morning. Once she was alone, she tried again to feel the pull of the water in the advanced plumbing running through the Fire Lord's home. She felt nothing. She looked out to the ocean, once again looking to feel the familiar push and pull of her mother element. Her chest was heavy, and she lost her composure.

"No, no no no, no…" she whispered, her initial freefall of tears turning into a waterfall of racking sorrow. She put her hand in a pot of water, praying contact with the water would reconnect her with what was gone. She felt the cold water wrap around her hand, but it did not respond to her call. Her sobs hardened, and her vision blurred by the element which betrayed her. A raspy voice filled the room, soft and gentle.

"I know… I… this is rough." Katara felt a hand on her shoulder, and she rapidly dried her eyes.

"Zuko… sorry, I uh… yeah. This is definitely rough." She spun around, putting on her biggest fake smile. She hated it when anyone saw her cry. Her travels across the world, acting like a mother, had made her strong, but not invincible. "But we will figure it out. We have to." Zuko smiled a half smile, but it quickly faded.

"Don't fake it Katara. I know how you feel. I feel ill to my stomach, I have never felt this… but, I imagine this is hardest on Toph." He shrugged, trying to distract Katara from the tears threatening to well. "To be disconnected from your element, and your sight… what a horrid morning."

"You're right" Katara sniffled. "And Aang hasn't lost his bending. In the grand scheme of things, if he can bend, we still have a chance."

"I can still teach him firebending. I just can't demonstrate. But the fundamentals can be learnt, and he's talented. Not to mention he has learnt this before, a hundred times over."

Katara smiled. Who would have thought that, out of everyone, Zuko would be the one to make her feel better about this whole fiasco? His uncle would be proud.

"He's essentially a master waterbender already. As long as he practices, and I'm there to correct his stances… he's all that matters."

Suddenly Suki walked into the room. She eyed the two benders in the room, and apologetically smiled. "I'm so sorry, it's just… Sokka is starving, and says he can't plan without food? I can't imagine what it's like for you guys at the moment." Katara walked over and gave her friend a hug.

"Thank you, Suki. Sorry, I guess I just had to let myself feel sad for a moment." She looked over at Zuko, and sighed. "I think we both did."

"I don't do the crying thing, but yeah. I feel lost today too."

"So, what shall we feed the troops?

/

Soon everyone was huddled on the beach, sitting around a long burnt out bonfire, the smell of smoke lingering and mixing with the salt air. Their bowls were full of fruit and pastries, and tea was being poured by Zuko. Except for the mockingly loud sound of the waves, and the distant chit-chatter of Momo, the air was quiet. Toph sat on a log for the first time, no longer able to make her own chair from the element below her feet. Suki and Sokka sat together, his arm wrapped around her lovingly, naturally. Katara sat across from her brother, staring longingly into the cup of tea placed before her, willing her ability to rapidly return. To her left sat Zuko, and to her right Aang, who looked more lost than all of them.

"We can't lose hope over this." Katara started, putting down her breakfast. "As long as Aang can bend, the world isn't over."

"That's easy for you Katara, but I have lost more than my bending. You wouldn't understand." Toph snapped, her opaque eyes once again glistening with tears.

"I know Toph, I can't even begin… but this is larger than us right now. As long as Aang can bend, we have a chance of winning this war." Katara's voice stayed soft and calm, and she turned to Aang. "Do you agree?"

"I do." Aang stood up, breathing deeply. "It won't be easy… and I don't know how I'm going to go with firebending, but I am going to try."

"I can still teach you, but it's going to be a lot harder now I can't demonstrate for you."

"We need you to be honest here, Zuko." Sokka cleared his throat, looking squarely into the golden eyes of the fire prince. "Do you really think Aang can do it?"

There was a tense hesitation in the air, as Zuko closed his eyes and pinched the bridge of his nose. Despite the fact he could no longer feel the warmth within him, he couldn't help but continue to follow his uncle's teachings, taking deep breaths and clearing his mind.

"It won't be easy. But yes. He can." He looked up confidently, and Sokka gave a nod.

"I think we're missing the biggest thing here guys." Katara cut in abruptly, uncharacteristically, putting her own bowl down. She suddenly feeling all eyes on her. "Why us? Why just us three?"

"How do we know it is just you three?" Suki countered, shrugging. "It could be everyone, every bender. If that's the case, it means the Firelord can't bend either. Which means, we have-"

"We have a good chance of winning the war, whether Aang can firebend or not!" Sokka excitedly cut in, much to Suki's dismay. Not that she wasn't used to it.

The stunned silence in the camp lasted a few moments, with only the in and outgoing tides of the nearby ocean. Zuko stared into the fireplace, rubbing his temple, calculating. Katara had her hands to her chest, attempting to deny herself the overwhelming rush of hope coming over her body. Toph stared into the air, her face contemplative, but obviously pained.

"I think we need to investigate a little more."

/

 **It's a little shorter than my previous chapter, and I suspect they will all be around this length. But, I'm not sure! I know where I want to go with the story, but I am not too sure how long it'll take to get there! Depends how quickly or slowly I decide to take things. I will try to pace it, and keep it as canon as I can... except for the Zutara angle I'm going for!**

 **And trust me, if you think you know where I'm going with this, you probably don't :)**

 **Until the next chapter!**


	3. Coming to Terms

**Chapter Three:**

Still around the remains of a bonfire long burnt out, under a sun growing warmer and higher in the sky, the gaang was planning. The morning so far had been a mix of emotions and confusion, stress and disbelief. Toph was left without her sight, and Aang was the only one who had any connection with his bending abilities left intact. It had taken a while, however they had come to the conclusion that they may not be the only benders who had lost their skills.

Aang had decided that he needed to meditate, to clear his head, and hopefully connect with his spiritual ancestors. The monks had taught him that meditation would always provide the key to life's many locked doors and puzzles, and he planned to use whatever he had to figure this out. He smiled sadly to all his friends, and walked back to the house to set up what he needed to connect to his past lives. He had found that candles and certain incense really made it easy for him to meditate and talk to the past Avatars, and he figured he needed to talk to them sooner rather than later.

Zuko was lost in the thought that his father may be without his bending. He knew from experience that he was formidable, bending or not. He heavily relied on his superior firebending to rule his kingdom, and felt that learning a martial art was only for those who did not possess the gift of elemental bending. Despite this, he had guards and servants who he insisted learnt to defend him in the case of his bending being ineffective. With high power and position came insecurity and paranoia. A trait, Zuko supposed, that passed down the bloodline. He could see so much of his father in his sister, Azula.

Ah yes, Azula. Another obstacle the gang would have to overcome to win this war. Although their father had always frowned upon anything but firebending, Azula befriended Mai and Ty Lee from an early age, and took great pride in outshining her friends. Neither girl was gifted with firebending, however it was known by all that they could kick some serious ass. Azula learnt advanced acrobatics from the flexible Ty Lee, and was gifted with sharp objects and had an uncannily accurate aim from training with Mai.

Whatever the plan the group came up with, he would have to make sure they factored in this trio.

Sokka and Suki didn't feel any loss, having never been gifted with the ability to bend in the first place. This meant that they were able to plan with clear heads, with no grief clouding their peripheries. The fact that the two of them were formidable fighters in their own right was a comfort, as it meant that the group still had a chance to win the war. Hopefully, of course, it wouldn't come to that. The couple departed not long after Aang, with Sokka saying he needed to sit down and plan their options properly.

Toph wanted nothing more but to build a tent in the dirt, to feel her earth surrounding her, obeying her command. She wanted to see her friends, to feel connected to her version of sight again. She had not felt as helpless as this since she was a little girl, before she met the badgermoles. The play by the Ember Island Players had incorrectly said she saw by emitting a sonic wave from her mouth, and she sincerely contemplated trying it out, just to feel – no, to see, again. But, as young and naïve as she was, Toph had grown up a lot since travelling with the group, and she knew that screaming would solve nothing. She could feel her eyes watering again, and willed herself to stop. Crying would also solve nothing.

Instead, she ran her feet absentmindedly through the earth beneath her, relishing the feeling of dirt in her toenails. She didn't want to ask for help back to the house. She would rather sit here in silence, sensing her old world by feeling it, smelling it and hoping it would come back to her soon.

Katara could feel an anxious bubble building in her stomach, the hollow shock of losing what had become her identity pulsating through her veins at random intervals. The sun above her was growing warmer and warmer, and her hair was sticking uncomfortably to her neck. The Fire Nation was a whole different world compared to her hometown in the South Pole. She did not miss the almost frostbitten digits when the fires died down, or the illnesses that would echo through her loved ones chests when the air grew too cold, but she did miss the crisp freshness of the air. The thick smog of this nation filled her chest with a heaviness she was not accustomed to, which filled her with dread.

She once thought that the water in the air once gave her some comfort. Her element was all around her. Now it mocked her.

She just needed to go for a walk.

/

Zuko and Toph were the only ones left, and it took a long while before either exchanged a word. Uncharacteristically, Zuko was the first to break the silence.

"Tea, Toph?"

"Not unless it can restore my eyesight Sparky. No offence, but your tea just tastes like hot leaf juice." She tried to smile, but her words came out sharp, tinted with frustration.

"I'm just trying to help!" He snorted back.

"I know."

Silence returned once more. Toph took a deep breath in, and dug her toes deeper into the dirt.

"Is it just me, or does the air feel different to you?"

Zuko looked up at her, quizzically. He knew she couldn't see him, but he still shook his head. "No, not really. It's humid, but I grew up here. Maybe I'm used to it?"

"No, it's not the humidity. Though that can go and die in a hole for all I care, to be frank. It feels… lighter. But, heavier?"

"Sorry, Toph. I don't know. This whole day has been…" he moved his hands around in a gesture, then mentally kicked himself. "It… indescribable. It has been inexpressibly bizarre. But the air is fine. Though I do feel like I need to get some fresh air. You know, which is stupid, considering we are sitting outside and all, but…"

"Oh stop your drabbles. You can leave me here. I mean, where am I going to go?"

"Did you want to go back inside?"

"No!" she snapped, flinging herself to the floor, caressing the earth beneath her. "I can't… I need to be here."

"Toph…" Zuko stood up, and moved closer to the prepubescent girl before him. He recognised her heartache. "Let's go inside. Torturing yourself and begging for the earth to respond won't help. I would know. I've been screaming at that fireplace to reignite since Aang left."

Toph felt a giggle pass her lips, and sighed.

"I guess I could do with a nap. And since I can't make my bed, I may as well lie in the bed of the Fire Lord. I'll make sure the sheets get as dirty as I can make them, ok?"

Zuko laughed softly, and took her hand, helping her stand.

"Oh no Sparky. Up I go. Just like when my feet were burnt. Come on, chop chop!" Zuko smiled, and knelt down beside her, not able to find the will to fight her on this one. They silently made their way back to the house, and Zuko ascended the stairs to his father's old room.

When they first arrived at his old family home, Zuko had claimed his old bedroom, and let the rest of the crew settle which room they wanted. Aang was drawn to Iroh's room, and Katara asked for the room with the balcony over the ocean. That room happened to be his mother's, but Zuko figured she would want it to be used by his friend. Suki and Sokka had excitedly taken the room with the large bed, though their enthusiasm was tainted once they realised they were sleeping in the bed that Azula had enjoyed as a child. This left Toph with a few rooms to choose from, but she eagerly chose to sleep in Zuko's father's room – she took great pleasure in "accidentally" destroying the odd bits and pieces in the room, and caking the bed in earth. The others had tried to coax her out of it, the mere thought of sleeping where he slept gave them chills. But, once she made up her mind, Toph was unmovable like the earth she could no longer bend.

He put her down at the door to the room with her insistence, and she confidently walked away and found her way to the bed. Happy she was safe, Zuko shut the door, alone in his thoughts. It puzzled him that he felt scared for Toph, as he had never truly considered her blind. This whole day was messing with their group. Looking out the window, he felt inexplicably mesmerised by the push and pull of the ocean below him. He had heard Katara go on about it in her lessons with Aang, though he felt the bald teenager had the hang of it by now. He was a master of three elements in his own right now. Water was the first he had mastered, well, since he awoke from his 100 year slumber. He had stated that the water called to him sometimes, just as it did Katara. He supposed that, as the Avatar, he felt the call of all the elements, but never as strongly as a single elemental bender could. Not once had Aang described the feeling of fire burning in his stomach, pulsating from his core to his fingertips, the taste of smoke burning his tongue with the urge to create fire. Once a sole source of destruction, Zuko now found peace with his bending, which only made it stronger. Aang was talented, but he didn't have the passion. According to Toph, he lacked it in earthbending too.

But surely it was too much to ask for him to feel all of that, as air was his only natural element. Zuko felt jealous of Aang when he soared through the air, weightless. But he also pitied the poor boy. Once upon a time, Zuko felt that the world was unnecessarily cruel to him alone – a child lucky to be born, with a sister who was born lucky. But he realised that the world was crueller to Aang, a twelve-year-old who learnt of his destiny too early, the weight of the world placed on his shoulders, with three foreign elements to master before the world ended in flames.

He couldn't blame him if he couldn't feel the desire to create a flame. At least he was trying.

Somehow, in all the depth of his contemplation, Zuko found himself startled when he felt cold water surround his feet. He looked down, snapped out of his daze, realising he had subconsciously walked onto the beach. He was baffled, but thought perhaps he had come to find Katara. Once loathed to admit it, he happily now accepted that he liked the waterbender. She was strong, and kind – two things he didn't know could co-exist. After travelling with her, they had indeed grown closer, and he found himself recognising her as a kindred spirit. And the first true friend he ever had.

Looking up and down the coastline, he eventually sighted her, floating on her back in the ocean. He considered his options, and decided that swimming out to her would be a mistake – even with her waterbending gone, she was a stronger swimmer than him, and with how this morning had affected them all, he didn't want to startle her.

So he sat on the sand, enjoying the sun on his skin, and awaited her return to shore.

Maybe she could make some sense of it all.

/

 **I'm having too much fun describing everything and setting the scene, but it's almost time for me to get into the meat of the story.  
I'm pretty out of practice with writing, but I hope I'm not too rusty. **

**I'd love to hear your reviews, they really do make me feel loved and motivated to continue.**

 **I'm trying to ensure the characters are within character, so I hope that's coming across!**

 **Thanks everyone!**


	4. The Ocean's Response

**Chapter Four:**

Floating on the ocean was something Katara knew she would miss if, and when, she returned to the South Pole. The frigid landscape and the glacial temperatures didn't exactly invite jumping into a full body of water that wasn't a tub suspended over a low burning fire. Katara wished she knew how to manipulate the temperature of the water she bent, more times than she could count. At least here, in the ocean of Ember Island, she felt warm. The salt water made it easy for her body to stay afloat, and her mind to wander. Somehow the sun wasn't burning her eyes, and she was enjoying it enveloping her with warmth. It was comforting, as if she could feel the sunshine pulsing through her veins.

How unusual.

But not unwelcome.

She continued to float, deep in contemplation. Why had her bending suddenly disappeared? She had bent water just last night, under the full moon. It felt as natural to her as moving her own limbs. She fell asleep, tired after staying up late to clean up. At least she had Zuko to help – a thought that was simultaneously foreign and natural to her. After what felt like years of fighting with him slowly dissolved into a mutual understanding, and now a true friendship. She regretted how she acted at the air temple, when she could see without a doubt he was begging for forgiveness. Then again, if any other member of the group had been betrayed like she had in the crystal catacombs, they would likely have been hesitant and short-tempered tool. With all this aside, it took some work, but they were now in a good place.

Without meaning to, her thoughts wandered solely to the firebender. They had a habit of doing that recently, actually.

His ability to bite his tongue was incredible. She could see his temper flare up when Aang's attention would wane, or when he would refuse to practice. She could also recognise the bitter jealousy he would hide when Aang picked up a difficult technique with relative ease. It was a feeling she remembered all to clearly from the days when she was beginning her own journey to being a master, as well as teaching Aang all she knew. Initially she expected that Zuko would explode at Aang, as he used to. Instead, he would rub the bridge of his nose, take a deep breath, and take a moment or two before he responded. Sure, he would raise his voice and push Aang hard, but the young Avatar likely needed it. Each of his elemental teachers had a vastly different approach, but each of the elements was vastly different, so it was only right.

Watching him teach Aang was often exciting. Firebending was a much more brash element compared to her own waterbending. She was used to the push and pull, the give and take, the flow of water, but watching the boys showed her a whole new world of fighting. It was more take than give, push than pull, and shove than flow, but it was also more graceful than she ever realised. They had a silly dance they learnt from the dragons – though she wasn't sure if they were real dragons or if they had agreed to tell an exaggerated story (this was more Sokka's style however) – but she could feel the passion in the moves. It was raw, firebending, and yet polished all at the same time. For the first time ever, she could appreciate the beauty of firebending. Her whole life was spent fearing and hating firebending, but after meeting Zuko, that changed.

Feeling her fingertips prune up and her stomach grumble, Katara decided it was likely time for her to return to shore. Breathing deeply, she felt despair in the pit of her stomach, cold with the realisation she couldn't just push herself to shore with her bending. She had been floating in the ocean for who knows how long, and this was the first time since she came out here that she had thought about her own disaster. Waterbending or not, the ocean always made her feel restored.

This whole day was full of surprises. Including the fact that Zuko was sitting on the shore, staring out into the ocean.

/

She was incredibly graceful, even without her bending. She swam naturally back to shore, using the waves to push her effortlessly closer to her destination.

"Is something wrong?" She called out, wringing her hair with her hands. Usually she would just bend it out.

"Oh… no I…" Zuko fumbled, finding it difficult to articulate why he was there. After all, he didn't really know. "I went for a walk, then I saw you, and I thought you might want to talk…"

"Oh, thank you." Katara smiled, wiping sweat from her brow. It was warmer than she expected now she was out of the water. "Is Aang still meditating?"

"He was the last time I saw him, yeah. I carried Toph back to her room and saw the door was still closed. I assume he's in there."

"And my brother?"

The pair started walking down the shoreline, heading towards the house. The conversation flowed easily between them, as if they had been friends for years.

"He and Suki were arguing over the moon's cycle – I remember he said something about his first girlfriend turning into the moon, so I can only imagine…" Katara laughed, fascinated by the fact that Sokka had confided this in Zuko. They definitely came back closer after their trip from The Boiling Rock, and obviously had a lot of time to talk about their pasts.

"I don't even want to know." Her smile faded quickly, a gentle frown gracing her face. "But I do want to know why this is happening. And why it is so unbearably hot here!" She wiped her brow again, sweat once again drenching the back of her hand.

"I have no idea. I was fine last night. So were you. And now this? I hope Aang finds an answer. Fast." Katara nodded. "I knew something was wrong when I woke up. I'm so annoyed it didn't occur to me before. I slept in. I never do that."

"Yeah, yeah, you rise with the sun, and I with the moon."

"But you know it's weird."

"Maybe. But maybe you've just pushed yourself too hard."

"Not a chance. It's second nature to me. Don't you feel that way about the moon? Haven't you once told me that you feel more alive than ever when the moon is up, let alone full? The sun is just like that for me, but it is full every single day. The fact I slept in, it's unbearably important Katara!"

"I suppose… But, no, it's _not_ important!" Suddenly, Katara felt herself snap. "Who cares when you woke up? The three of us were stripped of our most precious ability last night and all you can think about is how much sleep you got?"

Zuko felt like he was hit with whiplash. What on _earth_ had set her off?

"Katara?"Her brows furrowed, and the salt in her slowly drying hair truly gave her the appearance of a woman who had lost her mind. Zuko wildly looked around, wondering if Sokka had somehow weaponised cactus juice and sprayed it in the air.

"No, no, you can't just be a selfish, arrogant jerk and get away with it!" Admittedly, Katara didn't know why she was flipping out so hard. All she knew was that she had a burning anger inside of her, and if she didn't let it out now, it would consume her. Zuko always had a hidden agenda. It was too good to be true that he would truly have been converted.

"Katara! Calm down!"

"Calm? You want me to be calm?!" Her arms were flailing around, and Zuko knew without a doubt that if she could bend, he would be soaked by now. Her eyes burned with an anger he had never seen in her cerulean blues, not even back when they were enemies.

"Seriously, this is so out of character for you! What on earth?" Zuko found himself take a step back, his eyes scanning for the easiest escape route. Waterbending or not, she was intimidating. He'd never fought with her fist-to-fist, but he could imagine she would pack a punch, and despite his shady past decisions, he had never and could never hit an unarmed woman. Especially Katara.

"You need to stop being such an insufferable, horrible person!"

"I just said it was weird I slept in! Katara _stop flailing your arms around,_ you are _going to hurt yourself!_ "

"It's not just the sleep in. You know very well you're involved! You always are!"

"Ka-ta-ra!" Zuko stepped forward, deciding that taking on the defensive was doing nothing to diffuse the situation. "You need to _calm down_."

The most peculiar thing occurred at this moment. Zuko threw his arms up in front of him, fluidly and naturally, trying to startle Katara back, aiming to bring her back to her senses. She definitely stumbled back, but it wasn't due to the unnatural motion of the fire prince's upper extremities.

It was the fact that a wave of ocean water moved in the most peculiar way. A pillar of foam and salt water shot up from the shoreline, jagged and rough, as if responding to a novice's waterbending call.

Katara's mouth flung open in disbelief. Zuko's face matched hers, mimicking the distress and shock on her tanned skin.

"No. Fireflaking. Way. Zuko!"

Zuko opened his mouth to respond, but shock muted his response. Only his breath dared to escape, his heart caught in his throat. He looked down at the ocean, the pillar long gone, and back to Katara. His golden eyes and her blue ones reflected one another, their confusion and disbelief almost comical.

"Do it again." Katara whispered, her voice gentle. Cautious.

"I don't know if I can." Zuko's voice was barely audible. His whole body felt numb, his fingers tinglingly cold, just like when he was at the North Pole.

"Zuko. Please." She was pleading. Sensing the true desperation in her voice, Zuko raised his arms again in the same fashion.

Nothing happened.

"Bend your elbows more. Be more fluid."

"Katara-"

"Please."

And so he did.

And so the ocean responded.

/

 **Yep. There we have it. If you re-read, you'll see my (not so) subtle foreshadowing over the past two chapters! Zuko sleeping in, Katara feeling warmer, her temper... yeah when I say it like that, they're pretty lame ways to foreshadow! But, in my head, they seemed better!**

 **Did any of you guess that Zuko would end up a waterbender? Is Katara now a firebender? And what could this mean for Toph?! What will Aang find when he comes back from meditating? Did Suki and Sokka come up with a plan? Will it change now Zuko has a new trick up his sleeve? Is it permanent? And when will the Zutara begin?**

 **All will be revealed soon :)**

 **I truly hope the pacing isn't too rushed or too slow. Again, it has been a long while (8 years!) since I wrote fanfiction - I'm too used to writing literature reviews and case studies now! I actually have written all 4 chapters to date in a day (that's all 8100 words in two sittings haha), so I'm trying to work through this as fast as the inspiration hits.**

 **The idea first came to me last year, but I had no idea how to go about it. Now I do, I'm going to make the most of the inspiration!**

 **Until the next chapter!**


	5. The Plan Guy

**Chapter Five:**

 **Note: A kind reviewer said that it was impossible to read this chapter before, due to a formatting issue. How frustrating! Hopefully this works better :) Silly FF!**

 **Enjoy!**

/

Zuko's mouth flung open, a strangled noise escaping him. It was a strange noise, a combination between a scream, a cry, a gasp and had the aftertaste of stomach acid, as if his body was rejecting the truth and trying to dispel it. His hands were rigidly by his side now, as he was too scared to move them lest the ocean do any more.

Katara's body felt cold. Her heart beat rapidly in her chest as she watched the ocean return to its calm state, leaving behind no evidence of a bender's work. She felt jealous. She wasn't fully convinced, however, that what just happened… happened.

"We should see Aang." Zuko nodded, and the pair lightly jogged back to the house. Not a single word was exchanged between them until they reached Aang's room. The door was open and the air was tinged with the smell of incense and smoke, an indication it was likely put out recently. Aang himself was nowhere to be seen.

"The stable?" Zuko offered. Katara nodded in agreeance. If he hadn't come to them, it was likely Aang had gone to Appa. Whilst there was no stable previously on Ember Island, Aang and Toph had, with Zuko's permission, transformed the old servant house near the royal family's house into a stable for Appa. Toph took great pleasure taking out the walls, and Aang bent the earth in a way that lifted the remaining walls higher, leaving plenty of space of Appa to sleep. The door had been removed and replaced with a simple archway, covered with vines to conceal the flying bison from anyone who happened by. Of a night Aang would take Appa out and stretch his legs – all six of them – but only when he felt it safe to do so. After what had happened in the desert at the now sunken library, he wasn't taking any risks.

Before they departed the house, Katara softly knocked on Toph's door.

"Come in, Katara." Toph's voice was tired, lacking it's usual spark.

"Oh, you knew it was me?"

"Only you could knock that softly Katara. Hurry up, come in." Katara sighed, cursing herself for feeling the slightest bit of hope that Toph knew it was her because she could suddenly 'see' again.

"You need something sweetness?" Toph was lying on the bed, which was comically too large for her. Five Toph's could lay side by side with room to spare, and because of her short stature, even with her arms all the way above her head she wouldn't be able to reach the headboard or the foot of the bed.

"I just wanted to see if you were okay." Katara sat on the bed, fighting the urge to stroke Toph's messy hair out of her eyes.

"Well, I still can't earthbend, but otherwise I'm peachy. Just blind. Nothing new."

"Has Aang come to see you?"

"No. I think I heard him leave a while ago. But he's so light on his feet, I could have imagined it. Stupid twinkletoes." Toph rolled over, burying her face in a pillow. "I wanna wake up from this nightmare." Her mumbles were barely audible, but Katara knew what she was saying.

"Tell me about it. Zuko and I are going to find him. We uh… we might have some news?" Katara wasn't sure how to phrase it, or even what to say. Zuko can waterbend now? Sure, it seemed simple, but the words had heavy implications.

"You two are finally together?" Toph sat up excitedly. If she had vision, she would have seen Katara's tan skin flush over in the most royal of red. She laughed, almost nervously.

Zuko had been in the doorway, keeping an ear out for Aang, which meant he heard the whole ordeal. He was thankful that Katara didn't turn to look at him. He felt as if his whole face was on fire, so red that you couldn't tell where his good skin ended and his scar started.

"No Toph. That was just in the play!" Katara cleared her throat, and Toph rolled her eyes. "It's uh, it's a little stranger than that. I feel like we should get everyone together first. What do you say we meet in here?"

"What so poor blind Toph won't get lost?"

"I-"

"It's okay Katara. Here sounds good." Katara was grateful for the lack of argument. Smiling, she pet Toph on the hair, and stood up.

"We'll find Aang and Sokka and Suki and be up soon, okay?"

Toph responded with a shrug, and begun picking at her toenails.

/

It didn't take long to find Aang. He was laying on Appa's back, talking about this morning's events as a client would to a psychologist. Interestingly, every now and again Appa would respond with a grunt or a growl, as if he truly could talk. Zuko wasn't too sold on the whole "Aang can talk to the bison and lemur" thing, but he knew first hand that the bison was smart. And, heck, after everything so far today alone, anything was possible.

"Can we talk Aang?" Zuko called out. Momo was the first to respond, jumping out from Appa's sadle and startling the young exiled prince. Zuko grumbled as Momo settled on his head, picking at his hair.

"Oh hey Zuko. Sure." Aang sat up, and grinned excitedly. "Hey Katara!"

"Hey Aang." She smiled and waved back. "How did meditating go?"

"It… went well. It's just going to be complicated."

"Oh, we understand. Aang, can we all talk? We've had a new uh… discovery." Katara tried to remain vague, not wanting to describe the incidents at the beach more than once.

"Sure. Are you okay?" Aang jumped down, gracefully using his airbending to float like a feather in a summer breeze. Katara smiled and shrugged, turning to Zuko, who was losing the battle with the lemur.

"Yeah. We'll explain shortly." Katara scratched Momo behind the ears, which sent him crawling over to Katara's head, chattering happily as he went. Zuko tried to smooth his hair down, grateful to be rid of the irritating scalp picker. In a comfortable silence, the trio and Momo went to find Sokka. It was easy to find him. All they had to do was follow the sounds of snoring coming from the sitting room.

/

Once they had successfully awoken Sokka and untangled him from a drowsy Suki, everyone found themselves sat in Toph's room, awkwardly awaiting Katara's announcement.

"We have a pretty good plan in place if you wanted us to go first?" Sokka piped up, indicating to his armful of scrolls. Suki nodded.

"We thought about how we'll find out if it's just you guys affected, and then plans to go ahead in either case." She smiled at Sokka, proud of how serious he was when it came to planning. She truly was lucky to have a guy who could be both serious and a goofball.

"What we have to say _may_ through a spanner in that plan." Zuko sighed, brushing his hair back.

"That doesn't make sense Sparky. They have contingency plans!" Toph wasn't impressed.

"Well," Katara started, taking a deep breath. "Did you make a plan based around Zuko now being a waterbender?"

Not for the first time that day, the air grew silent in shock.

A silence that didn't last long.

"He-"

"Is a-"

"WHAT?!" Katara and Zuko had to cover their ears, the screeches of the comrades loud and confused.

"Wait wait wait wait wait!" Sokka cut in, his eyes darting wildly between Katara and Zuko. "When? _How_?"

"Yeah, you might need to elaborate a little Katara." Aang nodded.

"We were down at the beach. We were talking, then… well actually I don't really know, but we started arguing, and…"

"It really doesn't matter. I just put my arms up, and the water moved. That's all there is to it, honestly. Then Katara asked me to do it again, and it didn't work until she corrected my stance. I haven't tried again since. I… haven't wanted to." Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose, trying to make sense of it all.

"Okay… okay. So, we need you to do it again Zuko." Aang said softly. Katara started to walk from the room.

"I'll grab a bowl of water for him to use."

Once she left, Sokka cleared his throat.

"Well, she was right. We didn't have a backup plan with this in mind."

/

"So, I need to come up with a new nickname for you, huh Sparky?" Toph chimed, breaking the silence while the group awaited Katara's return.

"You _could_ just call me by my name, Toph."

"That's no fun, you see. And seeing as I _can't_ see, I'm going to have all the fun I can." She quipped, sticking her tongue out, facing in Zuko's general direction.

Katara returned not too long after, a pitcher of water in her hands.

"So, Zuko, show us what you've got." Aang indicated to the water, nervous. He was hoping this was some sort of misunderstanding, that it was actually Katara who had bent the ocean without realising it. He had hoped that maybe everyone had lost their bending, meaning his task of taking down Ozai was infinitely easier.

"I… okay." Zuko rolled up his sleeves, and stared at the water in the pitcher. He felt like a fool. Staring into the water, he furrowed his brows and tried to concentrate on his breathing. Flicking his wrist up, he attempted to move the liquid before him.

Once again, nothing happened.

"See, maybe you were imagining it." Sokka breathed a sigh of relief.

"No, I know what we saw Sokka." Katara rebuttled, moving to stand closer to Zuko. "Zuko, relax. Your stance is too stiff." She demonstrated, and he wordlessly copied. "Now, with that wrist flick, imagine your hand is a wave. You want to glide over the wave, not fling smoke away. Concentrate on the water, and gently move your wrist…" He mimicked her motions, and she stood back, her arms crossed. A moment later, the water began to ascend, bubbles of liquid now well above the pitcher. They were shaky, but it was there, in plain sight.

Zuko dropped his hands as if he had grabbed something he shouldn't have, the water splashing before him as he did so. He glanced around the room, a mix of confusion and shame plain on his face. He no longer bent the element he was so proud of – he felt like a traitor.

Suki was the first to speak.

"I guess it's time for a new plan."

 **A little slow, but there you go! Chapter 05, done and dusted.**

 **Thank you to the lovely reviewer who asked about Appa and Momo - I always had planned to have them featured, I just hadn't had the opportunity to fully write them in :) But here they are!**

 **Thank you as well to every reviewer so far! I get very excited when I get a new review, it truly means a lot.**

 **I'm not sure how many chapters this will end up being. Initially I wanted 10, but as I write I'm finding out that 10 isn't going to be viable! There is NO way we are half way there already! I like to aim for 1500 - 2000 per chapter (~4-5 pages), so I think the length of the chapters will remain the same. So, the way I'm going and with the plan I have for this story, we may end up with 20! In a week I go back to fulltime work, so my updates will be emmuch/em less frequent. I considered pacing the chapters and having some banked up for slow weeks, but I feel like spoiling you all with the chapters as soon as they are done! I think I'm just naturally too impatient anyway :)**

 **I forgot how much I love to write. Thank you for reading along and supporting me as I try to get back into the groove!**

 **Until the next chapter!**


	6. I Would be Honoured

**Chapter Six:**

Zuko felt nauseated.

"This feels so wrong." He said, mostly to himself. He held his head in his hands, kneeling on the ground, praying he would wake up soon.

"I'm guessing Sparky did it." Toph whispered, and the gang was immediately reminded that their friend was truly blind.

"Yeah, he did." Katara sat down with Toph, and gently explained the visual of what happened. Toph fought back a snappy remark, wanting to reprimand Katara for coddling her, but she didn't have the energy. Besides, she wanted to continue feeling involved, to feel like she was still in the moment.

"We need to find out if this is happening to anyone else." Sokka stood up, opening a scroll from his previous planning session. "The fact that Zuko is now a waterbender changes a lot, but not the first few steps of our plan." Sokka nodded to Suki, who stood up, ready to explain.

"We figure that this is unlikely an isolated incident – more than that, we sincerely hope its not. Sokka and I can go into the town centre here on Ember Island and gather intelligence – see if there are any rumours of firebenders losing their bending, or suddenly waterbending."

"You won't hear of anyone waterbending." Zuko piped up, still kneeling on the floor. "Losing firebending is bad enough, but my people see waterbending as the weakest form of bending left. It would bring great shame to bend water suddenly… no offence, Katara, of course."

"Of course." She replied, nodding in understanding.

"We will still ask around, obviously trying to not draw any suspicion to ourselves. We're non-benders, always have been, so it seems safer for us. If we went about and talked about losing our bending, pretending to have been firebenders and it _is_ an isolated thing, we'd be looked at suspiciously. So, we'll just say it was a rumour in a bar." Sokka continued, trying his best to not be discouraged by the solemn air in the room.

"That sounds like a good idea." Aang commented, rubbing his bald head. "I obviously can't go anywhere. Zuko is too recognisable, and it'd be dangerous for Toph."

"Say, Twinkletoes, what did you learn during your meditation? You were there an awfully long time." Asked Toph.

"Well, no one had heard of this happening before. Roku said that he feels it has something to do with the comet looming so close, but he can't be sure. Kyoshi offered the same plan Sokka has, saying she wanted me to find out if this is everyone or just us. If it is everyone, then she suggests we strike Ozai as soon as we can. Without his bending…"

"He's still dangerous." Zuko cut in. "My father always believed that firebending was the most powerful tool, but he is also cunning, and resourceful. He frowned upon learning hand to hand skills, but learnt how to defend himself. He surrounds himself with chi blockers, skilled archers, and fighters – non-benders and benders alike. Having Aang still capable of bending is a blessing for sure, but it won't be an easy task."

"Yeah, Roku said much the same thing. He said that whilst my past lives don't know why this is happening, there are people out there who might. Spiritual leaders. Monks, priests, that kind of thing. He recommended I go back to Guru Pathik, at the Eastern Air Temple. He says that the guru's knowledge about chakra's and the spirit world, and he's probably the friendliest."

"The comet is weeks away, so we have time if you need to travel, Aang." Katara sounded hesitant.

"I think we need to get the facts straight first."

"Okay." Sokka took a deep breath. "Suki and I will head out tonight, and get some intel from the bars in town. Dad once said that drink loosens tongues, and loose tongues speak many secrets and rumours. Once we find out what we are dealing with, we'll come up with the next stage of our plan."

"Out of curiosity…" Toph had a wide grin plastered on her face suddenly, a look that was disturbing for the gang. They knew that face. That face usually meant trouble. "Should Katara start teaching Zuko waterbending?"

"What?" Katara and Zuko shouted in unison, looking at each other.

"Listen. We have no idea how this will pan out. It's just us who lost our bending, it's everyone, Sparky's the only one who got waterbending, we all got waterbending but don't know it yet, we all did a switcheroo, or this could all go back to normal soon. Whatever the case, we're still at a massive disadvantage. We may as well take our gifts where we find them, and hone Zuko's waterbending so he's not completely useless if this is a permanent switch."

Zuko turned a most peculiar shade of green at this thought, but no one thought it wise to mention it.

"I guess we can try?"

/

Soon enough the group was eating again, their little family huddled together as was tradition. The sun was high in the sky now, the sweltering heat almost unbearable. Nothing felt normal today. Their gathering didn't last long.

Usually, at this time of day, Zuko would have finished his training with Aang, and Toph would take over after they had eaten. The Avatar would have many small breaks, but he had come to accept that the great burden on his shoulders meant he would be training at a high intensity. Despite Toph's insistence that Aang was not a great earthbender, the truth was that he was very gifted. He had already mastered the basics and many of the advanced techniques, with his main pitfall being his reluctance to push on the offensive. Try as she might, Toph knew that Aang would never think like a child of earth, or fight with earth as his main weapon. She supposed that, with airbending and earthbending being opposites, this was to be expected. She felt Aang was ready, but insisted he could be _more_ ready. Now, with this catastrophe upon them, she had to trust in her own teachings. There was nothing more she could do for him.

So, instead of taking on her role as teacher, Toph excused herself and disappeared into the house once more. No-one stopped her.

Aang soon made his way towards the makeshift barn, and rumbles of earthbending could be faintly heard in the distance. It was different for him, training without Toph. He felt lost, unsure of what he should be doing to get the most out of the day. He couldn't ask her now, but maybe soon he would get her advice. Going through the sets she had drilled him harshly on for weeks, it felt almost like meditation. Earthbending never felt like meditation for Aang before. He continued to keep his mind blank, feeling the earth and it's movements beneath him. Toph had tried for weeks to teach Aang how to see with a seismic sense, but his attempts bore no fruit. Today, with his mind clear, Aang decided he would continue to try. He knew how useful it was. Maybe today was the day.

Sokka and Suki usually spent a lot of the daylight away from the group, chatting with locals and tourists, gathering information about the Fire Nation and its current movements. They had come to hear whispers of Azula and her wish to be coronated soon, and had overheard plans Ozai had to utilise the comet outside of bringing down the Earth Kingdom. They also shopped a lot, taking their time to get to know the merchants, who would reward their patience with discounts or interesting pieces of information. Upon their return, they would tell the group what they had found out, and would also provide the necessary food and items they needed. Sokka had a knack for shopping, but Suki had to control their money, or else there would be too many unnecessary purchases made.

Today they went for a walk on the beach together, revisiting their plan for this evening. Aang had once whined about how much planning they did, but the Southern Warrior and Kyoshi Warrior both knew the importance of having plans A through Z. Especially in times like this.

After training Aang, Zuko spent a surprising amount of time just wandering the halls of his old holiday home. He was surprised at how he still felt conflicted at what Aang would have to do to his father to stop the war. He had grown to hate the man who gave him life, who gave him his scar. His travels, trials and tribulations had taught him his father was a tyrant, incapable of love. Undeserving of life. And yet, walking through the halls, he couldn't help but be overwhelmed with memories of a life long past. Every now and again, a memory would invade his conscious, and he would be six years old again, looking up at his father as if he was the greatest man alive. He would be twelve, the year before his exile, when all of his concentration went into grooming himself for his future role as firelord.

It troubled him greatly that he wanted nothing more now than his father's end. He felt like he was betraying his childhood self. But he understood that his childhood was based on clouded vision and tales spun of untruths. He could see clearly now. He knew who he was, and who he wanted to become.

The only person he confided in about his troubles was Katara. If his Uncle were there, he would have been the one he would turn to first, of course, but that wasn't an option.

Today, he found himself in Katara's room – his mother's old bedroom. His mother's disappearance was a mystery he wished he had the key to, but only one person knew the tale for sure. His father.

Safe to say he wouldn't be finding out the truth anytime soon.

"Zuko?" Katara's gentle voice startled the fire prince, and he turned around defensively as he was snapped from the depths of his own thoughts. "Oh, sorry to scare you."

"Oh, no, it's okay. What's up?" He breathed a sigh of relief, mentally kicking himself for being so jumpy.

"I just… wanted you to know, I'm happy to teach you. Waterbending, that is. I know it's probably something you're ashamed of, but I would be honoured to teach you what I know." She kept her eyes down, feeling awkward to meet his gaze.

"I didn't mean it like that. I'm sorry." Katara looked up, and was surprised to see a gentle smile on his face. "Other firebenders haven't met waterbenders, especially ones like the ones I've met. Your people are strong. Resourceful. And your bending is… as equally graceful as it is terrifying." Katara laughed, and Zuko was glad he had taken the time to choose his words carefully. "I would be very honoured to try and learn all I can from you."

"Alright." Katara extended her hand. "Meet me after dinner. We'll go to the beach."

"Deal."

/

 **Well, there we go!**

 **The more I type, the longer I feel this story is going to be because I don't want to miss a detail! I find it super important to cover everyone's reactions, to build the setting and to explain things in the future. I have it all planned out, although I am unsure how I will end it... I have options, and I feel that I like to let the story write itself.**

 **Thanks for being on this ride with me!**

 **I absolutely adore reviews, favourites and follows, so please don't feel shy! I appreciate all comments - constructive criticisms, expressions of enjoyment, guesses for the future of the story, and I won't even mind if you get upset with me if it takes a while for me to post! I really do love it all.**

 **Until the next chapter!**


	7. Rising with the Moon

**Chapter Seven:**

The moon was high in the sky, surrounded by speckles of starlight that spanned the whole skyline. Sokka and Suki bid the team farewell as they head towards the town, and Katara and Zuko left not long after to the beach.

"I'm nervous." Zuko confessed, looking up at the waning moon.

"That's… normal, I guess." Katara looked up towards the moon as well, and her thoughts flitted to Yue.

 _If you're up there listening, please, give us strength._ She sent her silent prayer, and hoped that the Northern Princess had heard it.

"So, how did you find out you were a waterbender?" Zuko asked, uncharacteristically looking for a topic of conversation.

"Oh! Um… I think I was about three or four years old. Dad had taken Sokka out to hunt, and I was complaining to my mother that it was unfair that he got to go on all the adventures. We were doing laundry at the time, and I think I shot my hands up in frustration, and the water followed."

"So, an accident. Like how I found out today?"

"I guess so." Katara giggled, but her mirth soon turned solemn. "I wasn't allowed to bend, after that. Our tribe had prayed that we had no more benders, that the raids and the black snow were finished. Of course, the Fire Nation would have continued to raid, whether we had benders or not. They lied, saying they knew there was a bender – but how could they, when no one came or went to our village for decades at a time? We became very isolated, after all."

"I'm sorry about that."

Katara punched Zuko in the arm.

"Don't apologise for things you have no control over, Zuko. It wasn't your plan. It wasn't you. And we're going to change it. So please. Don't." He nodded, rubbing his arm gingerly.

They arrived at the shoreline, and Katara instructed Zuko to look out on the waves, and try to feel their call.

"The ocean calls to us water benders, it's give and take a feeling that resonates in our blood. I think it's important for you to feel it, before we try bending."

Zuko nodded, trying his best to take this seriously. It felt so wrong, trying to listen to the water.

But he felt it.

In his stomach, just like where he felt his firebending. There it was, the call of the water, begging him to push and pull with it, to merge with the motion.

"I think I feel what you mean. I want to… rock with it?"

"I'm impressed. Truly, I am. OK. So, can you feel that push and pull? We're going to copy it. Put your front foot forward…"

/

After a time, Zuko felt like he was able to push and pull against the waves. Wanting to build his abilities fast, but not push him too hard, Katara took Zuko to a calmer body of water, and instructed him on how to make his own waves.

When the first ripples appeared in the water, she felt an overwhelming surge of pride. Even if she were no longer a bender, she was a teacher. If it meant helping win the war, she would gladly pass on all she knew to Zuko.

/

"I think that's enough for now, Zuko." Katara yawned, rubbing her eyes. It felt late, later than it really was. Being disconnected from the moon truly threw her out of whack. "Don't push yourself."

"I don't feel like I am. I feel like this is nothing."

"Your Uncle once said that the longest journey begins with the first step, right? Well, you'll never get the tentacle form down if you don't first learn how to move the water in your favour. You won't form ice until you can control the droplets. It's only day one."

He sighed, knowing fully well she was right.

"I just don't feel tired. Training in firebending usually leaves me exhausted, but now, I feel so awake."

"It's the day after the full moon, Zuko. That's normal for waterbenders. You'll… get used to it." She sighed, the weight of the day coming over her. She sat down, huddling her knees in close. "I mean, I hope we get back to our normal selves soon… but we can't be too prepared."

Zuko followed suit, crossing his legs in front of the blue-eyed girl before him. The energy he felt was unlike any he had felt before. It left him restless, aching for more.

"I can let you take your leave, if you want." He offered, noticing Katara yawn once again.

"No, if I go to bed now I'm sure I'll just end up thinking too much. So, tell me." She cleared her throat. "You know how I found out about my bending. How about you?"

Zuko looked up, staring at the moon. He sighed, unsure how to tell Katara his story.

"It was expected of me, so from the time I could walk – probably crawl, really – I was trained. Ozai had me enrolled in firebending classes, even when I showed no sign of talent. He said once that he was going to discard of me, since having a firstborn son without bending skill was a disappointment. If my mother and the fire sages hadn't had intervened, he probably would have." He sighed once more, trying to ignore the sadness on Katara's face. "But, eventually, I produced a flame in a class, and my father was appeased. It didn't help that Azula showed signs of bending from when she was an infant – father always said she had that glint in her eye of a gifted bender." The air grew quiet between them, save for the sound of the ocean in the distance.

"It's so different." Katara answered eventually, looking into Zuko's golden eyes. "I was taught to hide my bending, and you were forced to show it. I found it on accident, and you were expected to be skilled."

"Opposites." Zuko muttered.

"So…" Katara started, wanting to lift the mood. "I think it's only fair that you teach me some basic firebending."

"But, you aren't a firebender!" Zuko replied in surprise.

"Well, you didn't know you were a waterbender until a few hours ago. Besides, I just want to know what it was like for you." She looked up at him, feeling connected to him in a bizarre way. Zuko hesitated, stopping himself from immediately rejecting the idea. "What have we got to lose?" She offered, crossing her legs to mimic Zuko's pose.

"Katara…" he breathed deeply, laughing at how ridiculous this was. "Ok. Fine. Firebending is all in the breath."

"I remember you teaching Aang. Into the stomach, right?" Katara smiled, and Zuko smiled back, closing his eyes.

"Yeah, that's right. Put your hands together, over your stomach chakra. You're wanting to bring the breath into your stomach, hold it until the warmth comes over you." He opened his eyes, and was happy to see Katara sitting with the correct posture and hand gesture. She continued to breathe deeply. Zuko recalled how many days he spent in the same position, wanting to connect to the fire within. He knew it likely wouldn't occur tonight. Katara seemed determined.

Zuko returned to his own meditative state, feeling the power of the near-full moon above him.

Deep in meditation, time passed in an instant for the pair. Zuko briefly acknowledged the sound of Sokka and Suki return, their footsteps in contrast with one another. Sokka had proven he could be light-footed when needed, but now he stumbled about like a man unable to hold his liquor.

Zuko was sure he'd get he full story in the morning. For now, he'd return to his meditation.

/

Much later, Zuko opened his eyes, and stifled a laugh when he saw Katara, deeply asleep.

"I guess you don't rise with the moon anymore." He whispered, wandering what to do next. He decided to try wake her, but she was unrousable. Unable to leave her out here, Zuko picked her up and carried her over to the house.

He was vaguely aware of the warm touch of her skin against his, but was more distracted by the palpitations in his chest as he held her close.

Putting her down in his mother's old bed, he was mesmerised by the moon shine over her delicate, dark skin. This whole day would have been a nightmare without her.

As he left, he grabbed the large water pitcher from the bedside table, a source of ammo Katara kept faithfully beside her as she slept ever since they moved their camp here. The moon was going to keep him up late, that was plain to see. He may as well practice.

/

 **Chapter seven, it's done! What do you know! A little shorter, but a little fluffier - slowly but surely, the little subtleties will come to fruition. Trust me! The ball is rolling. I never expected this little story of mine would reach well over 13,000 words, and still not be half complete! Thank you for all of your reviews, every single one means so much to me. I love how FF now lets you see view counts too - it's so exciting!**

 **Until the next chapter!**


	8. Plan B

**Chapter Eight:**

Katara rose at the first light of dawn, feeling refreshed, and confused. She startled, confused as to why she couldn't remember getting into bed last night. She was still in her clothes from yesterday, with sand still sitting in every crease. After a few moments, the memories of last night came flooding back. Zuko had been able to create small waves in the water, a feat he considered menial and one she considered incredible. For someone who wasn't born of water, a young man who spent his life playing with fire to be able to manipulate the water on their first try… it was unheard of, obviously, and brilliant. While the fact she had been stripped of her bending left her with little optimism, Zuko getting a quick handle on his new ability gave her the hope she needed to carry on.

Katara wasn't too sure why she was up so early, but decided to make the most of the early rise. She walked into the empty hall, and listened to the calm serenity in the house. Toph was snoring loudly, in unison with Sokka in the other room.

"You're up early." A soft voice echoed, sleep still lingering in its whispers. "Everything okay?"

"Oh, Aang!" Katara startled, then sighed with relief. Toph had given Aang the nickname of "twinkletoes" as his airbending talents meant he was silent as he walked – which often would scare those he meant to engage with. "Sorry, I just didn't expect anyone to be awake this early."

"Me neither. Usually it's just Zuko and I. Uh, I was going to go through some firebending sets. Did you want to come watch?"

"That sounds good."

/

In the small courtyard, Katara watched as Aang moved through his sets. They were familiar to her. She didn't want to admit it, but she had watched Zuko and Aang on several mornings. Watching them was not the issue, of course, it was the amount of time she spent focused on the fire prince which made her turn a shade of rose. At first, it was to try and learn from the firebending style. Zuko had said that his Uncle Iroh had learnt to redirect lightening by watching waterbenders at work. She had implemented some changes in her waterbending, because of it, making her style more offensive. But it soon morphed into Katara admiring the fire prince himself. The fact he had morphed into someone worth admiring was no easy feat. He had gone from a brooding teenager with a strong agenda – a confused young man who thought he was fighting for honour – to a strong young man with a well-calibrated moral compass. He was a good teacher, even if his temper was short, and Aang was coming along well with his firebending. He was also a good listener, and had become one of Katara's favourite confidants.

Once upon a time, she hated him and everything he stood for. Now, she found herself missing him from the morning sets.

Who would have thought?

"Hey, Aang." She stood up, the warmth of the rising sun filling her with a new energy. She brushed the thought of the fire prince's absence from her mind. "Teach me the dance you and Zuko do."

"The Dancing Dragon?" Aang stopped his motions and scratched his head, puzzled. This was sudden and uncharacteristic for Katara. Aang had always loved it when Katara watched his firebending lessons – something he had noticed she had been doing more frequently in the last few weeks. Regardless, she had never asked to be part of the lesson.

"It's still a stupid name." She muttered to herself, nodding at Aang. He looked at her quizzically, but broke out into a large grin. Confused as he was, he couldn't say no to Katara.

"Okay!"

Aang went through the motions, demonstrating to Katara the importance of both the steps and the way in which the upper limbs moved. It was a familiar dance, and Katara felt she would be able to pick it up quickly. Soon she was doing the movements on her own, Aang gently correcting her form where necessary. She was a natural, and Aang couldn't help but smile the whole time. He had danced with Katara before, and knew she had a talented sense of rhythm. In a way, the dance had many hallmarks of waterbending, with its fluid motion and aim to pass the energy through one's body seamlessly. Her face bore a mask of determination as she learnt each step, and her stomach flipped with anticipation as she and Aang stood together, ready to perform the dance in synchrony for the first time.

He wished all of his firebending lessons were like this.

As she stood there, Katara felt unease bubble in the back of her mind. She was worried that she would mess up, forget a step, or lose her balance. She was concerned that this was a waste of Aang's precious time. As soon as she took the first step, however, that anxiety lifted, a feeling of purpose filling her. As she moved, she felt her chi charge through her, making its way through her body like electricity buzzing through a wire. Warmth covered her from the inside out, a feeling of joy she had long forgotten. As her fists touched Aang's at the conclusion of the dance, she could feel a power swell within her, one she felt had been there for longer than she would ever recognise. Without thinking, she pivoted on her outer foot, pressing her fists forward in a calculated punch.

The mask of shock that covered her face when fire spurted from her knuckles was equally painted on Aang, and the recently awoken Fire Prince Zuko.

/

"Are you hurt?" Was Zuko's first question, as he raced down to the shocked pair after witnessing the orange light emitted from Katara's outstretched limb. She shook her head in shock, inspecting her palms as if expecting to find scorch marks. She was shaking. Zuko took her hands in his own, boldly looking at them to assess if she was harmed, not trusting her in this state to be forthcoming. If she was hurt, there was no one there to heal her. Aang never mastered the skill, and Zuko barely knew how to control droplets. Luckily, her tan hands remained unscathed, though they trembled with uncertainty. "We should get everyone up. This is huge." Katara nodded, her eyes drifting towards their hands – Zuko still had hers held with a gentle grip. He suddenly let go, blushing as he realised he may have held the girls hands a few moments too long. Without another word, he ran towards the house.

"I'll go help get everyone up. Are you going to be okay, Katara?" She just nodded in reply. Like a zombie, she took slow steps away from the training arena, back to their campsite.

It was funny how the gang seemed to have all their important meetings around a campfire. It was an unspoken tradition amongst them, a pastime no one was ready to give up just yet. Zuko and Aang swiftly and unceremoniously awoke the occupants of the slumbering house, who clambered out quickly. Katara was cold with shock, despite the humidity of the island already plaguing her skin with sweat. Fire – actual fire – had come out of her hands, hands that healed burns in the past. She had suspected that she was a firebender ever since Zuko's discovery yesterday – with her early rises, the unnatural warmth she felt and the fact her temper was ever so shorter than usual. She tried to reason with herself, convince herself that she had picked up habits from her time watching Zuko, and that it was the stress of being so close yet so far from their goal that had pushed her to acting differently. She had hoped that overnight the spirit world would have corrected its mistake, and that she would be one with the moon spirits once again. Alas, instead she had continued to feel as if she was missing a piece of herself, and found herself drawn to firebending. It was the reason she was so eager to learn from Zuko yesterday, and Aang this morning. As if her subconscious knew more than she did, and wanted to unlock what was sleeping within.

It was a curse.

"So, does this mean I can airbend now?" This was Toph's first question, after Zuko placed her down from his back.

"What makes you think that Toph?" Aang asked, clearly not understanding the small leap of logic she took.

"Well, Sparky and Sweetness swapped bending. Who's to say we didn't too?"

"But, I can still bend air. I can bend everything."

"But you're the avatar. Of course you can." Toph grinned wildly. "I want to know if I can _see_ by releasing a sonic wave from my mouth!"

"Toph, that was just in that stupid play. Be serious now." Sokka interjected, his concerned blue eyes not once wavering from his sister's pale frame.

"Last night, we did end up hearing rumours of firebenders who had… issues with their bending." Suki spoke softly, selecting her words carefully. "No one outright said that their bending was gone, but we didn't see a single person bend last night. The barkeeper said it was unusual there were no fire brawls, and everyone just seemed… deflated."

"One guy did say that he thought his bending was weaker, due to the comet. He thought that it would drain all bending first, then deliver it back tenfold. Does that sound right?" Sokka asked, directing his question to Zuko.

"It's not what I've been taught. I was always told it would grow stronger and stronger until it reached it's peak on the day of the comet."

"He also said that Sokka looked like a Fire Nation general he once knew, and that he was on good terms with the princess. No doubt he was drunk, or lying." Suki rolled her eyes.

"So, given Katara's ability, we can assume that everyone has switched bending." Zuko looked at Aang. "And it didn't affect Aang, because he's the avatar."

"Good thing I didn't lose my bending all together." Aang nodded solemnly. "I… don't even want to think about it."

"Um, Twinkletoes? _That's what just happened to us._ " Toph cried, her voice quickly changing dangerously close to hysterical. "You're just as bad as Sokka!"

"Me? What did I do?"

" _Oh no, it's so dark down here, I can't see."_ Toph mocked, waving her hands over her eyes ferociously. Suki placed the palm of her hand on her forehead, mentally questioning what on earth attracted her to such a goofball.

"Stop." Katara spoke for the first time. "I think we all know what Aang meant." Toph stopped suddenly, not wanting to goad Katara. She had experienced burns once before, and did not want to set off an unstable firebending Katara.

Taking a deep breath, Sokka re-composed himself, and continued planning. "Zuko now waterbends. Katara firebends. Toph _may_ be an air bender now. Firebenders aren't bending fire anymore – so logically we assume they're all waterbenders now. If we extrapolate from what Zuko said yesterday, either they don't know they can waterbend, or they're too ashamed to admit it. This means they won't hone their skill – plus, they have no one to teach them. We have three weeks until the comet comes. Our options are – we get you guys up to speed as masters in your new element, we master hand-to-hand combat to take down Ozai, or we try to reverse this."

"I think we need to do all of them, honestly." Zuko crossed his arms. "Three weeks is not long enough to master an element. Agni knows it took me years, and even being taught by a master like Katara, waterbending is too foreign for me to master in _three_ weeks. She can't demonstrate, and nor can I."

"I can teach you?" Aang offered.

"You should be focusing on being a master of all four elements, Aang. Especially on your firebending."

"And earthbending!" Toph interjected. She was ignored.

"We don't know if we _can_ reverse this. If we can, wonderful, we're right back where we started. If we _can't_ , we will need to all be able to lend Aang a hand in destroying the fatherlord." Everyone picked up on his slip, but no one felt it right to correct him. Later, perhaps. "Which means we'll need to be able to fight like non-benders. If we can have some elemental prowess up our sleeves, that's good, but we can't bank on it."

"Aren't I supposed to be the plan guy?" Sokka whined. "But I agree with you."

"You and Suki are our best hand-to-hand fighters – we will need you for sure." Aang stood up. "My past lives told me to seek out Guru Pathik, and it would be unwise of me to ignore their guidance. I can go alone, and be back in time. And yes, I'll practice _all_ of my elements."

"You aren't going anywhere without me Twinkletoes. I can't _see_ , so I can't _fight_. I may as well go with you." Toph waver her hands over her eyes once again, mocking her own disability. "It'll get lonely here." She added softly. Aang nodded, and looked at the rest of the group, trying to gauge their reactions. Sokka and Suki looked at one another, seemingly sharing a telepathy only couples could. Zuko shrugged. Katara stared into the fire pit, her attention divided between the current conversation and her own thoughts, stuck on this morning's flames.

Sokka spoke first.

"You and Toph should go. We'll stay here, and the four of us will train as much as we can until you return. If you solve the issue, then we'll be fine – it's what we've been working so hard for. If you can't, then at least we'll be more prepared than Ozai."

"We'll take Appa tonight. Until then, I guess… rest?" Aang stood up, ready to leave. He took Toph's hand, hoping to lead her to the house to start packing.

"One last thing before we go, Twinkletoes." Toph grinned manically, and before anyone could question the dirt-covered girl, she screamed. Out of her mouth came a noise that no member of the group had ever heard, a sound that was likely heard in islands on the horizon. Covering their ears, the rest of the group ducked, trying to avoid it.

Laughing hysterically, Toph wiped tears from her eyes.

"You should see your faces right now!"

She wasn't sure if they were tears of joy, or sorrow.

/

 **Longest chapter in a while! Now, we're finally in the meat of the story!**

 **I'm worried that I'm taking this story in a less original direction -** ** _oh no, thing happened and now Zuko and Katara are alone without Aang to interrupt_** **\- but in the end, it's hard to write a blossoming relationship between two characters without them having time alone. I could keep Aang (and by extension, Momo and Appa) and Toph in closer proximity, but their split off is important to the resolution.**

 **I'm trying my best to keep everyone in character, and have it read as if this** ** _could_** **happen in the actual Avatar universe. Of course, it sadly didn't, though what a ride that would have been to watch!**

 **In any case, I'm writing as fast as I can - 15,000 words already, within a week! To me, this is an accomplishment in itself. Thank you for reading :)**

 **As always, reviews are always welcome and cherished :)**

 **Until the next chapter!**


	9. Snooping

**Chapter Nine:**

Aang was grateful that they hadn't settled down completely here on Ember Island. It was so easy for the group to become used to the luxuries the royal family's holiday home had to offer – soft beds, advanced plumbing, incredible kitchen tools, large tables, parchment and ink… but, as a monk, Aang tried not to rely on these comforts. His teachings from a young age had taught him that one should never be overly obsessed with material possessions. He was happiest sleeping whilst lying on the earth, using his airbending to warm him instead of goose feather mattresses and fur blankest. He was indeed grateful, but he was pleased that being exposed to such indulgences for the first time had not changed him or his core beliefs. Now he was to set out on yet another journey, where he and Toph would not have much. This excited him greatly.

As such, it meant packing for the journey took mere minutes. The gang had always ensured that Appa's saddle was fully stocked in case of emergencies, so they already had a week's worth of food (to feed all six of them) rationed aside. Since staying at Ember Island meant beds for everyone and a fantastic set of kitchen utensils, all their sleeping mats, blankets and a small kitchen set were also packed with Appa's saddle. Toph had two sets of fire nation friendly clothing, as did Aang, so this took no time at all to gather. In truth, the reason packing for a journey often took a while was because of Sokka's penchant for knick-knacks. And Toph's reluctance to do anything. Not to mention, quite often Sokka and Suki or Katara would quibble over which trinkets were truly necessary, so it repeatedly would add hours to their work. In any case, the duo was finished preparing for their journey much earlier than anticipated. Both had hoped that the day would be taken up by this task, meaning time would have flown and they would have been on their way…

Trying to ease the anxious energy in the air, Aang started chatting.

"You know, it was pretty amazing having Katara dance with me. She was a natural! I guess she's been watching me and Zuko."

"Mmm."

"I really hope we find the answers we're looking for at the Eastern Air Temple. I don't know if I want everyone to stay like this, or for it to be reversed. I mean, it's got to feel terrible, but we'll have a better chance winning the war if Ozai can't bend fire."

"Yep."

"It also means I don't have to work so hard on my firebending. I'm only thirteen for goodness sake's! Most avatars don't learn about their avatar-ness until they are sixteen – then they spend _years_ perfecting the other elements. I've had a few months for them all!"

"Mmmhmmm." Toph laid on the bed, her unseeing eyes glaring into the ceiling. She hadn't said much at all. Not discouraged by her lack of engagement, Aang continued.

"I gotta ask… did screaming work?" It was a question that had been bubbling on his lips since their departure this morning, but he was afraid to ask what her tears meant. But, he couldn't let his friend lay there in such melancholy without trying to fix it.

"Actually… I think it did. I wasn't joking when I said I thought I might be able to airbend now. When I screamed, it was like I could feel the vibrations in the air – just like I used to with my feet. The way the sound bounced off you all gave me a mental image of what I could see. Which is bizarre, you know, since I could never see. Maybe I imagined it. Maybe I didn't." She shrugged, trying to sound non-committal.

"Well, we've got lots of flying ahead of us, and maybe you coming along to the air temples is a better idea than we thought."

"I'm blind, Twinkletoes, not an idiot. Quite the contrary – I'm a genius!" She laughed, in the way only a self-conscious pre-teen trying to build her self-esteem up could. "I bet I'll be able to see without screaming by tomorrow. I won't just be the greatest earthbender ever, or just the creator of metal bending – I'll be the first blind airbender to see! And I won't even have to be on the ground!"

"Yep, you're definitely something Toph!" He smiled happily, glad for the change in her demeanour. A happy, cocky Toph was nicer than a brooding, distraught Toph. He hoped he could keep her this jovial.

And he thought mastering the elements was tough.

/

Suki had abandoned Sokka for the afternoon, insisting that she be in charge of the shop today, as Sokka had already spent too much of their gold paying for drinks yesterday. He whined and argued, but it was pointless. Instead, he sought out his sister. He found her, rummaging through the draws of his room.

Interesting.

"Um, Katara?" She jumped up in the air, her arms mechanically placed by her side. He knew his sister well, and knew she didn't intend to be caught prying. "Whatcha dooooooing?"

"I-I- oh hi Sokka! Um! I just…" she groaned, knowing fully well that she wouldn't be able to worm her way out of this. "I just got insanely curious about Azula's room. She's a princess. Sure, she hasn't been here a few years, but…" Sokka looked at her sternly, before breaking out into a goofy grin.

"Snooping! Love it! What've you found?" She sighed in relief, grateful her brother didn't lecture her. In all honesty, it was usually _her_ lecturing _him_ about snooping and privacy, so she shouldn't've been so surprised.

"Nothing so far. Just clothes and perfumes." Sokka sat down with his little sister, and opened another draw. It was full of scrolls – exactly the kind of thing Sokka was hoping to find. He would much rather snoop through her literature collection than her wardrobe. As they unfolded scrolls and assorted trinkets, the siblings made small talk. They debated the use of several knives found, used as placeholders in text, and questioned the contents of several small vials of clear liquid, deciding it best to not open any. They placed bets on whether Toph was an airbender, with Katara believing that she was. Sokka wasn't so sure, and counter-bet that Aang would have resolved this whole mix up before Toph could even unlock her potential. Their conversation transitioned into one about the bender swap, and how it was uncertain if it was a blessing or a curse.

"I was always thankful for my gift, to the point where I relied on it heavily. Now that it's gone… I almost with I never had it in the first place. I wish I had learn to fight, like you and Suki. I would be so much more useful that way."

"Don't say that sis." Sokka laid his palm on her shoulder. "We couldn't have made it this far without you. Aang wouldn't have been able to learn waterbending – no, he wouldn't even be here! It's okay." She shrugged him off, and smiled in quiet thanks.

"I think we'll have to teach you the most hand-to-hand combat – Zuko's really good with those dao blades, and when he was the Blue Spirit, he never bent."

"Wait – Zuko was the Blue Spirit?" She was taken aback.

"Oh, yeah. I'm not sure if that was a secret or not… he told me during our flight back from the Boiling Rock. Anyway, dude's talented. We learnt from the same master, so you'd kinda hope so." Sokka shrugged nonchalantly.

"Wow." Katara muttered under her breath, unsure how to process this information. She supposed it best to ask Zuko about it, seeing as Sokka appeared uninterested on dwelling on the topic further. Luckily, a distraction appeared before her. A portrait, hidden amongst Azula's many parchments. "Look! It's little Zuko!"

"Are you sure this time? That was awfully embarrassing when you got Ozai…"

"It is! Look!" Katara grinned, shoving the parchment in Sokka's arms. When he unrolled it, he was first amazed at the quality of the ink, and the intensity of the reds. The fire nation did a good red, after all. After he quietened the aspiring artist fangirl within him, he stared into the eyes of the people portrayed before him. There was a woman, a kind twinkle in her eyes captured masterfully by the artist. Her face had a softness to it, a familiarity Sokka later realised to the same softness General Iroh had in his. At her side was a toddler, no older than five, his golden eyes recognisable instantly. In the woman's arms was a baby, her features not clear. The parchment was worn over the baby's face, as if its owner had attempted to erase it. He wondered if it was Azula who did this – wanting to erase traces of her past innocence. The thought chilled him.

"I guess this is his mother." Katara softly said, her fingertips gently tracing over the woman's face. "She's beautiful."

"She really was." Zuko appeared in the doorway, his good eye admiring the portrait from the askew doorway.

"People around here _really_ need to stop lurking and scaring the spirits out of me!" Katara exclaimed, clutching at her chest. "Seriously! I'm sick of being snuck up on!"

Zuko laughed, a sound that was once rarely heard by anyone… a sound he now made often, thanks to his friends.

"I would say I'm sorry, but I'm not apologising for being who I am."

"That's… very insightful, of you."

"Why are you going through Azula's draws?" Zuko asked, suddenly acknowledging the mess surrounding the water tribe siblings. Clothes were flung in piles – likely organised somehow by Katara – and parchment was littered about. Sokka appeared to be hoarding a small pile of baubles.

The siblings looked at one another, and sheepishly smiled in synchrony. As if they had planned it, they shrugged unceremoniously in unison, creepily reminding the fire prince of Li and Lo. He couldn't imagine ever being as in tune with his sister as Sokka was with Katara. The thought frightened him.

"Well… whatever you say. I was just here to see if Sokka wanted to spar."

"Oh boy would I ever!" Filled with excitement, the water warrior sprang to his feet, swiftly pocketing several small trinkets as he leapt. "You're on!"

/

 **Another filler chapter, of sorts. I feel that many a Zutara fic (or, any pairing fic for that matter) tends to ignore the other characters, and their own relations. I find Katara and Sokka's relationship to be a very adorable one, and I love how it is portrayed in the series. The fluff is coming, seriously, but I just want to flesh the story out and not be like "they decided to leave, and the day passed and they did" - not that there's anything wrong with doing so! I just don't want to this time :)**

 **Honestly, this story is writing itself. I haven't planned many chapters at all so far... they just happen. How lame is that?!**

 **Oh, before I forget, I have aged everyone up a year - I know canonically Aang and Toph are 12, Sokka and Zuko 16, Katara 14 etc., but I feel like it would be more realistic for a year to have passed from season 1 to season 3. Honestly, I would have preferred it if Zuko/Sokka/Suki were 18 or 19, Katara 17, Aang/Toph 15... but that's just me.**

 **I tend to leave you guys on small cliffs, but no major cliff-hangers. Maybe I will one day - so be prepared!**

 **Also, for transparency's sake, every time I upload a chapter, it's because another one is banked - so when you're reading this, Chapter 10 is already done and uploaded, waiting for publishing. I'll try keep this a habit. There's no particular reason for it, I just like knowing I'm a little ahead... I don't think I'm making any sense anymore, it's 0030 now and I should be asleep!**

 **Until the next chapter!**


	10. Sword Play

**EDIT: Re-uploaded because FF hates formatting. I do the exact same thing every single time, and 20% of the time it messes up. I have no clue why. Sorry! And here we go!**

 **/**

 **Chapter Ten:**

 _Klink!_

 _Clash!_

 _Clank!_

 _Ding!_

 _Schlink!_

The sound of metal on metal echoed quietly in their makeshift training arena. Katara and Aang were perched up on the roof of the house, overlooking the spar from a safe distance, acting as referees. Not that they were truly required – both taught by Piandao, the teenagers were quick on their feet and avoiding dirty tricks to gain the upper hand. Naturally, Zuko used his Dao swords, and Sokka proudly brandished his space sword. Before their duel, both boys commented favourably on the other's weapons, admiring the workmanship and durability of the vastly different arms.

Katara found herself thinking it was rather cute, watching them act like normal friends.

She also found herself staring too much at Zuko during the mock fight, her attention too focussed on the prince's graceful movements and muscular frame. She scolded herself, trying to hide her blush from Aang, whose grey eyes had left the battle and were hovering with concern on Katara's face. She shook her head and focused on the fight, advising Aang to do the same. She reminded herself that she was watching to try and learn to defend herself. By observing the boys at work, she could see openings and techniques she would later try and implement herself. It was just like when she would watch the waterbenders at the North Pole, before she was allowed to join them. She was hoping Suki would give her some pointers. She was fine with being taught by men – she didn't see the issue really – but because she lacked the frame of either her brother or Zuko, she thought someone of a similar stature might be able to give her pointers. She was hoping Suki would be able to teach her how to shift her light weight properly, and how to make the most of being smaller than her opponent. Katara felt that these sorts of things were best taught by those who experienced them, just like how she learnt better when learning waterbending from one who could bend themselves, rather than a scroll. Suki was asked to partake in the mock duel, but instead she was taking Toph out to the town's centre, to get away from the house and to try and feel like she was 'normal'. Initially Toph refused, but Suki was able to convince her.

"Toph Beifong wouldn't let a little blindness stop her from ruling the world." That's all it took, and they were off.

Getting back to the match, Katara noticed that both boys were agile, but Zuko was exceptionally so. No wonder he was able to moonlight as the Blue Spirit – no-one would have expected the Fire Nation Prince to be able to move so swiftly. It be a family trait, Katara thought, remembering the scarily cat-like way she manoeuvred.

Despite not being as quick as his opponent, Sokka was naturally more brutish, and seemed to be able to knock back Zuko further than Zuko could knock him back. He was also creative, making his attack pattern unpredictable at times. Both boys were breaking a sweat, visible even from the side-lines.

"Next hit wins!" Sokka panted, wiping the sweat from his brow before jumping ungracefully away from a strike.

"Getting tired, peasant?" Zuko asked, trying to disguise his own breathlessness. He swung his blades again, trying to determine where Sokka would dodge to. Sadly, it was not so simple.

"You wish!" Sokka swung his sword wide, leaving a huge opening for Zuko to attack. He turned his dao blade in his hand, and pushed the handle into Sokka's abdomen and sending him back onto his butt.

"Fine… you win…" Sokka huffed, dropping his sword by his side as he laid back, shielding his eyes from the sun.

"You fight good." Zuko smiled, sitting down next to his comrade. He sheathed his dao blades and wiped the sweat from his brow. That was one good thing about fighting at the North Pole – he didn't sweat at all. He also enjoyed fighting in the Earth Kingdom – the air wasn't particularly humid, which meant his firebending was better.

Well, as a waterbender now, maybe the humidity would be useful. He was still having difficulties getting used to the thought. Yet, for some reason, he could feel his heart flutter at the thought of learning from Katara. He put it down to how he admired her strength and teaching skills.

That had to be it, right?

"Well done guys!" Aang yelled, floating down from his referee position. Katara was clinging tightly to his waist, which made Zuko's stomach drop a little. He shook his head, thinking he must have been hungry after the duel. That had to be it, surely…

"You look pooped." Katara laughed. She sat next to Sokka, handing him a gourd of water. He took it gratefully, guzzling the entire contents before stopping to think about Zuko.

"Oh man, sorry! I'm sure Katara could…" he stopped, avoiding his sister's darting glares. "Sorry!"

"I can do it." Aang said, smiling softly and apologetically.

"No, it's okay." Katara replied. She had a sneaky smile on her face – a scheming smile. "Zuko can do it."

"Me?" He exclaimed, feeling the spotlight suddenly shift to him. "Why me?"

"Part of your training!" Katara grinned. "You can have a drink when you can pull water from the humidity around you. It's exactly like the water we drink, after all!"

"That's just torture!" Sokka coughed, once more avoiding his sister's glance.

"And I thought Ozai was hard on me." Zuko moaned, now lying back like Sokka, their matted hairs nearly touching. "Your sister is harsh." He muttered, licking his lips in desperation.

"Sorry buddy. Good luck!"

/

Once they realised she was very much serious, Aang and Sokka left Zuko in Katara's capable hands. Sokka couldn't leave without a good jab, and as they parted ways he couldn't resist discussing the long, cool bath he was about to have.

Zuko almost asked for an Angi Kai right there and then.

Instead, he sat up and copied Katara's cross-legged pose, promising himself he would try, but if he failed, he would run. He knew he was faster than her, and more motivated. Then again…

Her cerulean eyes burnt with a passion – no, a _determination_ – and a stubbornness that Zuko had learnt to appreciate and fear simultaneously.

She felt nervous, but excited. Without being able to bend water, she would have to rely solely on the memory of it, and describe it in a way that could translate into practice. The initial push-and-pull of water was easy, as it was the most familiar to her and also was able to be taught in scrolls and stances. Pulling water from the air was something she learnt from desperation, and honed when she met Hama. The thought of the woman sent shivers down her spine. She pushed it from her mind, and began describing how to pluck water from air.

"It's… feeling the humidity. Feeling the water encase your skin, like a veil. It's tasting the water on your breath, and pulling it into your hand and command." Zuko nodded, admiring the poetry in her words. Firebending was never described to him in such a delicate way. He was taught brute strength, and here she taught elegant beauty. He could feel the humidity on his skin, and felt a tingling in his hands as he willed it to form for him. Alas, it did not work.

"How did you learn?" Zuko asked, hoping it would help. Katara shrugged.

"I was desperate."

"How desperate?"

"…I was in jail." Zuko barked out a laugh, which he tried to choke back ineffectively. Katara blushed, and began talking fast to distract from her growing embarrassment. "Toph and I got thrown in jail because we were gambling and she was cheating with her earthbending. The cell was completely wooden and neither of us could get out, so I made my own water from sweat."

"That… well that doesn't sound like you, but it sure makes sense when you mention Toph." Zuko smiled. It felt natural to him to laugh with her. "But, Katara." He teased. "Sweat is using water that's already there. How did you learn to pull it from thin air?"

He sensed the micro-changes in her facial expression, watching the glee drain from her face and her smile freeze with a painful memory. He regretted asking.

"I… had a new teacher, for a while." She sighed, knowing sooner or later they would have to talk about it. "She escaped another prison in a similar way, and knew how to pull water from plants. I knew how to bend the swamp plants, and it wasn't that big a leap, really. She taught me to pull the water from the air."

Sensing she wasn't likely to divulge further, Zuko concentrated again on feeling the water around him.

"I feel it… it's there, almost mocking me."

"It's not your natural element. It's like when Aang was learning earthbending. It was so against what he was naturally used to, so it took a while. You'll get it."

"Maybe it's too advanced?" He asked, wiping the sweat from his brow. "You were basically a master when you learnt. I can barely make ripples."

"I wouldn't say so Zuko. I know you stole my pitcher for practice." She shrugged, acting nonchalant. "I'm sure you can do more by now."

"How… did you know it was me?"

"Because I was you once. New and eager. And desperate." She added, her tone changing. "We really don't know how long this will last. And it scares me as much as it scares you. But we have to be patient – Ba Sing Se was not built in a day."

"I hope we find Uncle." Zuko blurted out without thinking. "He uh – you two would get along really well." He shrugged, not knowing why he felt compelled to mention him now. He put it down to the wisdom in her words.

"I'm sure we will." She smiled back. "Maybe he can make us some _good_ tea."

"Hey!" Zuko retorted, flinging his hand from his forehead towards her. Steamlines of sweat struck the unsuspecting Katara, streaks of sweat now visible on her face. She yelled at him, impressed and mockingly disgusted.

"Hey!"

"Yes, Sifu?" He mocked, standing up and stretching his legs. He looked down at her, and stretched out his hand. She took it, a grin plastered on her face, unwilling to move.

"Good job, I guess. But gross!"

/

 **This chapter was somehow hard for me to write. I think I hit a creative wall at the same time as going back to work. But, I pushed through it, and plan to focus this story more on Zutara now. I had initially predicted this to be a short and sweet fic, after all! But I'm also having too much fun fleshing it out**

 **Your reviews and favourites and follows mean the world to me. Every time I get an extra one, I feel super motivated to write again and keep going. So please! :) Here's a little reply to you all, thank you for your reviews!**

 _ **Anonymous23 \- I'm assuming you're the same person reviewing throughout every chapter, and I just wanted to say thank you! I really appreciate your in-depth reviews and speculations. Warms my heart! Thank you! **_

_**Silferdeath \- Thank you so much for letting me know about the formatting! My apologies! Please enjoy :) **_

_**SernaJ \- Thank you for reviewing, even if you didn't know what to say :) Sorry to remind you about Azula - but I figure, if it's going to be realistic, may as well talk about her too ;) she definitely was tragic, her downfall was both incredible and so sad. **_

_**Guest \- Thank you for prompting me to write more about Appa and Momo; in my head they're always there, I just didn't plan on focussing on them. But you bought up good points, and since I'm trying my best to really capture the inner monologue and emotions of everyone, I too felt it important to explain some things. So thank you! I agree, I never thought about the servants on Ember Island, but as royalty you'd expect they'd always have guards, hand maidens, chefs etc., so thankfully this gave me a way to explain Appa's home :) **_

_**Misszeldasayre \- Thank you! I hope you're enjoying it all :) **_

_**Babyg14 \- I'm so glad that it caught your attention right away! I'm not sure if I'm the first to do a swapbending fic, but I can't recall any I have read about it, so I'm glad it feels refreshing to you :) Thanks!**_

 **Until the next chapter!**


	11. His Hands

**Chapter Eleven:**

"Are you sure you don't want us to come with you?" Katara asked, handing Aang a container of cooked food. He looked down at her from Appa, sincerely thinking about the offer. He shook his head.

"I'm sure. If we all go, it means less training for you. You and Zuko need to teach each other all you can, and in case it comes to it, you need to learn hand-to-hand combat too. I don't want to leave you behind…" he let his sentence drift off, hoping that Katara would understand the implied message. "…but it's for the best."

"I know Aang." She nodded. She understood his subtly, but chose to not acknowledge it. It was no secret that Aang had feelings for her – after all, he had kissed her _that_ many times. Despite the immense respect and affection she had for him, she had come to the conclusion that she did not reciprocate his feelings. She loved him, as a member of her new family, and would go to the ends of the world for him – she had, after all. But she did not lay awake at night pondering his touch, replaying his kisses or echoing his voice. It was when she had first met Jet that made her realise that her feelings for Aang were different, and as their group grew and matured, she was more certain now than ever. She couldn't tell him though. Not yet. His focus would be ruined.

Torn up about the matter, she even consulted Sokka once about what to do. He suggested continuing as if she had never come to a realisation, and despite it feeling like a lie, she agreed.

Sometimes her brother was a fool. Sometimes he was her best friend.

"We'll be back as soon as we can." Aang said, settling into his seat on Appa. Behind him, Toph sat tied to the bison's saddle. Aang had fashioned the safety rope so Toph could sit, lie and turn around, and still prevent her from falling off. He would have to fly the whole way, and couldn't leave the saddle's front for long to sit with Toph, or prevent her from falling. She was grateful for the considerate forethought. She disliked flying at the best of times, but it was surely going to be worse without others with her in the main saddle.

"Don't rush Aang." Sokka said, lifting his fist, awaiting a bump in return. "Figure out what's going on. Suki and I will look after Katara." Sokka heard a little cough. "And Zuko."

"Sparky is probably the one who will have to look after you!" Toph quipped, much to Sokka's dismay.

"But seriously, we will be okay here. As long as you two have each other, you'll be okay too." Suki climbed up and gave Toph a hug. Their walk into town yesterday must have gone well, Katara pondered. She'd have to ask Suki about it later.

"If anything happens to either party, we will all try to meet on the day before the comet on the outskirts of the imperial city, as planned." Zuko reminded Aang. "Keep up your morning exercises, and if the option of fighting arises, try to bend fire first." Aang nodded, appreciating his teacher's advice. He knew it was not going to be easy, but the more the young Avatar knew about firebending and how to use it in battle, the better their chances became in any outcome.

"Of course. We'll see you then guys, if not before." With one last smile, Aang turned to the chirping flying lemur curled up in his lap. Momo had spent the day exploring the island, picking fights with the native fauna and scavenging for food. Not that he needed it – Aang made sure both Momo and Appa fed like kings. Regardless, Momo always seemed to disappear during the day, only the be found napping in the late afternoon, and again going to sleep in close proximity to Aang as the moon rose in the night's sky. "Ready Momo?"

The lemur sleepily cooed, gripping tightly at the hairs of the bison below him. He knew what was about to happen, but wasn't so concerned he cared to awaken any further. Aang smiled, and pet Appa below him, letting his best friend know it was time to fly.

"I'll miss you all." He sighed. "Appa, yip yip!"

Steadily and silently, the bison ascended into the air. Sokka had one arm around Suki, and the other waved manically at Aang. Katara had her arms crossed against her body, and Zuko stood not far behind her, his arms also crossed. He gave a small wave, but knew that the young avatar wouldn't look back. For all his faults, Zuko couldn't say that his determination was one of them. And Toph wouldn't turn around – it wouldn't matter anyway.

"There they go." Sokka muttered, giving Suki a kiss against her temple. "I think this makes it all the more real."

"It really does." Katara agreed, sending a silent prayer to Yue. _Please, get them back to us safely._

/

"Katara." Zuko called out, as she, Sokka and Suki were heading for bed. "Can I talk to you?" She felt her heart hammer a little bit, but pushed the feeling away and she nodded. She scolded herself. _Stop being so… ugh!_

"Sure. What's wrong?"

"I… was hoping you still had the scrolls you stole from the pirates." He looked away, not sure why he was blushing.

Katara cupped her chin, her eyes looking down, deep in thought. She definitely still had them, however she could not recall if she had left them packed with Appa, or if she had taken them when they had settled on Ember Island.

"I think so. Come upstairs, I'm sure it'll be in… that room." She hesitated, not knowing if it was best she called it her own room, or his mother's room.

The walk was short and silent up the stairs, and down the hall they could hear the echoes of Sokka's snores. Katara had learnt to block them out – years of sharing an igloo would do that to a sister – but she hoped that Suki was able to sleep. Surely she would have complained by now? Katara made a mental note to ask her later. They had extra rooms now, so if she needed to sleep elsewhere…

Katara exhaled loudly, a quiet laugh under her tongue. She wasn't naïve. She knew that those two would sneak into each other's tents before, even when the option of their own space was available. Snoring or not, Suki was unlikely to want to be apart from Sokka.

With the impending battles, Katara couldn't blame her.

As they entered Katara's room, Zuko impulsively moved his hand to bend flames into the candles. Kicking himself, he bit his lip in frustration.

"Um… do you have matches?" he asked, squinting to see in front of him. "Or a stick we can burn from one of the other lanterns?"

"Oh! Shoot. Yes. Here." Katara fumbled about, grabbing a stick from the pile she kept near her door. She assumed Zuko would just light up the candles for her – he had done so every night, for everyone, since they arrived.

Except, of course, since he lost his bending.

It was till too new, and her habits too strong to die quickly.

She handed him the stick, but then refused to let it go.

"Teach me." She blurted. "Teach me to light them."

"Katara…"

"We know I can bend fire. We haven't really talked about it, but you saw what I did this morning. I want to be able to light a flame, when I want it to light." The soft glow of the candles in the corridor cast shadows across her face, making her determination seem even more intense than it was probably intended. Zuko gulped, remembering how hard it was to teach Aang the simplest things. Once the ball was rolling, things got easier – but he also had literally hundreds of past life experience years behind him. Thousands, even.

"I guess… are you sure you want to be standing here in the dark with me though?" He asked, once again kicking himself. _Why would you ask that, you fool?_ He scolded himself.

"Why not? It's not like we can fight like we used to. Plus, I told you. I trust you." She simply replied, leaving Zuko to take a deep breath.

"Ok. Like I said, it's all in the breath…"

/

It took almost an hour, but Katara was able to create sparks, which lit up the torch stick in Zuko's hands. She found that clicking her fingers was the easiest way for her to feel the friction in the air and muster up the energy inside of her. She held a flame at her fingertips for a good five seconds, staring at it in wonder before she panicked and let it go. It was exhilarating, and terrifying. Completely the opposite of water.

They lit up the room, and for a moment, the two stared at one another, racking their brains to recall the reason they had come together here in the first place.

"Oh! The scroll!" She remembered suddenly, and with the room finally illuminated, she began her search. Her organised nature meant that it didn't take long for her to find it.

"Here it is." She presented it to him, and Zuko took it gratefully. Unrolling it, he sat down on his mother's old bed and stared at the ink before him. Even the drawings seemed to flow like the waves – gently and elegantly across the page, each motion using the energy from the previous one to flow gracefully into the next. He traced his fingers over them, wondering how on earth he was going to be able to do this. It was a completely different style to what he knew. He recognised a few motions as the ones Uncle had taught him once – redirecting lightning.

What were the odds that this particular set would be on this particular scroll?

The universe had a funny way of reminding Zuko of its presence.

"Did you want me to go through them with you?" Katara asked, sitting down with him. She looked over at the scroll, smiling in admiration and nostalgia. It seemed like years ago she stole this scroll, and yet she recalled it all as clear as day.

"Maybe later. You seem tired." He rolled it back up, noticing the dark circles underneath her eyes. He felt guilty, and couldn't pinpoint why.

"No, I'm not. It's okay." She reached over and brushed her hand over his, electricity pulsing through her. She felt like she could light the world on fire.

"Sorry!" She withdrew her hand, and Zuko wordlessly re-opened the scroll.

If things were normal, he felt like generating lightning would be as easy as breathing to him in that moment.

They sat there for a while, Katara occasionally standing to show Zuko how to piece together movements, her motions as graceful fluent as a fish in the sea. She highlighted the importance of the fluidity, describing how each connected motion leant strength to the next. Each push would help power the pull, the energy growing with each stance.

Eventually, as the night grew longer, Katara found herself lying down on the bed, her hair splayed over the pillow as she stared up at the ceiling. Zuko stayed sitting on the edge by her hip, for once noticing the heat that firebenders emitted. It was comforting, in a way. He asked lots of questions about the scroll, and despite her creeping fatigue, she was more than happy to answer.

"How do I move my hands here?" Zuko asked, pointing to a particular picture on the parchment. Katara demonstrated, and laughed as Zuko tried to mimic her. Her motions were effortlessly smooth, and his reminded her of the group of Fire Nation school children who had never learnt to dance.

"Here." She giggled, grabbing his hand without thinking.

There was that electricity again, pulsing through her veins and setting her nerves alight. She ignored it, and helped demonstrate how Zuko should move. Once he seemed to get the hang of it, she hesitated letting go.

"You okay?" He asked softly, noticing an odd expression cross her face.

"I just… your hands." She murmured, now sitting up, inspecting his hand as she held it in her own. He grew self-conscious, and ignored the urge to yank his limb away. She quickly continued. "I never thought to look, but there are no burn marks here." He swiftly understood, wondering why he hadn't thought to reassure her earlier.

"No, we never get burnt when we bend – only when we're bent at." He admitted. She still held his hand.

"They're calloused too. Hard working hands. Are you sure you're royalty? Not a peasant, like me?" She had that signature cheeky Katara grin again, her worries diminished. She smiled kindly at her.

"No, I just lived at sea for three years. And in the wild, chasing the Avatar for the past year." He shrugged, hoping this would explain it all.

It did.

Slowly, Katara put his hand down, as a failed stifled yawn escaped her.

"Thank you for this, Katara." Zuko said, holding up the scroll. He stood, leaving her to continue laying down.

"Thank you too, Zuko." She muttered sleepily. "It felt good, to light those sparks."

"Goodnight."

He walked into his room, and placed the scroll on his desk. He still felt the echo of that electricity in his pulse, energising him alongside the high waning moon. Stepping outside, the air had a chill to it he had never recognised before. It felt nice against his skin, and helped him clear his head.

He was once told that water was the element of change.

Everything truly was changing.

/

 **Fun fact: the whole Zutara scene here was inspired by a real scene that happened in my own life, nearly five years ago. So, if it seems a bit bizarre, it was because my true experience** ** _was_** **a bit bizarre - but it has stuck with me as one of the defining moments that lead to our relationship. I think we started dating three months later.**

 **There will be bending, fighting, fluff, sarcasm, development and more in the next few chapters!**

 **But I hope you like the fluff - the slow build up of sweet moments before the eventual Zutara pairing.**

 **Also, I apologise if anyone feels I didn't write enough about Appa and Momo - I love them both to death, I just couldn't think of fitting ways to put them in as a more central character set without deviating too much from my already waffling story!**

 **Until the next chapter!**

 **PS: If there is anything you want to see happen in particular, any suggestions or guesses, any questions or requests, let me know! As I've said, I've basically got the story planned out - a base skeleton, if you will - but I'm happy to fill in gaps or put in little nods to you guys as well. All feedback is welcomed!**


	12. Thunderstorms

**Chapter Twelve:**

The days passed quickly, like lightning crackling through the sky. It was summer in the Fire Nation, and with the season came the seasonal weather – thunderstorms. Katara and Sokka weren't too accustomed to these phenomenon, though Suki and Zuko seemed at ease with the whipcracks of thunder and flashes of lightning that shook the house. Zuko explained that his people could tell when a storm was brewing because of the changes in humidity, and that he had missed experiencing the rain on land. It was harsh out at sea, and each storm bought torrential rain and fear, with the rocking of the ships and risk of men going overboard, never to be seen again. On land, it usually meant he was able to spend time with his mother and uncle, playing pai sho and drinking tea.

The rain bought him happy memories from a past he generalised as completely callous.

This seasonal rain also bought him ample amounts of water to practice his bending with. It was much easier to pull water from the air when it was _literally_ falling from the sky, and in a matter of days he had successfully been able to shoot streams both offensively and defensively. Granted, they were not powerful, and sometimes the body of his attack would falter away before hitting his target, but it was fantastic progress none the less. He found a bizarre joy in waterbending – he wasn't naturally talented at it, and it was completely different to his firebending, but it was almost like meditation for him. Whenever he would practice, with or without Katara, he would feel Zen. Uncle Iroh had once said that he learnt to redirect lightning from watching the motions of waterbenders, and harnessing the ability to make his own chi flow within him. Although he had already redirected lightning before, it was only now that he understood what his uncle meant. He could _feel_ his chi. He could feel it moving around him, focussing and changing as he needed it to. He never felt like this when firebending – his mind was always on the offensive, calculating and trying to stay five steps ahead. Waterbending was very much in the moment, and although it had barely been a week since he started, he felt he already truly understood why such a "weak" element was so threatening to his father's reign. No matter what was thrown at waterbenders, they had the ability to redirect it, to reform it, and to harness it.

It was truly beautiful, and terrifying.

Katara was proud of the almost unbelievable progress Zuko had made. She had expected that it would take weeks for him to be able to do what he could do now. She was awestruck by his determination – but she should have known. This was, after all, the prince that chased them for over a year, fighting tooth and nail to capture the avatar and restore his honour.

Her own battle, learning firebending, was every bit as difficult as she had imagined it would be. She had yet to burn herself or anyone around her, which was a blessing, but was also too hesitant to truly push herself to breaking point. Zuko had taught her how to breathe, and when she found a quiet moment she would try to meditate and focus on these techniques. Zuko had also taught her how to create and hold a flame, and would play her partner in the dancing dragon to help her feel the motions required to powerfully bend. She felt sparks when they danced, and she could say with certainty that it wasn't all due to the firebending.

It seemed ridiculous, that within a week she would go from acting casual and relaxed to feeling like a burning wreck next to Zuko. She tried to blame her moon cycle, and tried to blame the extreme change that had occurred when they all swapped bending… but when she truly looked into it, she could see the signs. The small subtle hints that were now glaring red flags to her.

She sat looking out at the ocean, and with each wave that crashed onto the shore, a new memory bubbled in her mind's eye.

She was the first one of the group to say his name – a simple thing for sure, but significant. She remembered hearing it, and although it meant the enemy, she liked how it sounded on her tongue.

When he tied her to the tree, even though at the time he was their enemy, she didn't feel like her life was in danger. She instinctually knew he would never hurt her.

She offered to heal his scar, not because it was ugly or offensive, but because she wanted to ease the hurt she could feel from him. She recognised his pain, and wanted to help him.

She was the first person he'd ever let touch his scar after the initial burn. He can't even remember why he let her, and she can't remember why she wanted to, but her touch was tender and she had no look of fright on her face. He trusted her.

He only strove for her acceptance when he joined the group. He still trusted her. He just wished she would trust him.

She reached for him as he fell from the Northern Air Temple, because she realised they couldn't lose him yet. She needed him to stay around.

He was the one who offered to find her mother's killer, not only to say sorry, but because he knew how much it meant to her.

The time they spent together during the trip to the Southern Raiders was unforgettable – a trip that bonded them in a way she had never bonded with anyone before.

The waves crashed quickly along the rocks at the line where the sea and sand melted together, and she realised that she couldn't pinpoint the moment that she started seeing Zuko as an ally, a friend, an equal – just like the shoreline, it all melted into one with no distinct line outlining then and now.

Water was the element of change, and just like the change in tides, she knew her own feelings were no longer the same.

/

"Keep your core tight!" He yelled, circling Katara as she repeated the same bending set for the fourth time in a row. "And keep your breathing even!"

"I… am…" She gritted through her teeth, trying to ignore the sweat trailing down her nose. The sun was high in the sky, and despite the energy it filled her with, she resented the heat.

"Now, I want you to create a flame in your hand. Good. What you're going to do now is punch it forward, and swipe around into a kick, and firebend from your foot."

"My foot?" Katara asked breathlessly, doing her best to not break her stance in surprise. She knew that it was possible – she had seen it first hand several times, after all – but Zuko made it sound easy.

"Yes. As you round your leg over, you're going to push that chi from your core into the leg, and at the height of the kick, you're going to push it out, just like bending from your fist." He tried his best to be patient with her, knowing full well how difficult it was to learn from verbatim alone. This was a move that took a lot of concentration and devotion, but he saw the glint in her eyes and knew she would be successful. She just needed to believe it too. He demonstrated the move twice, and waited patiently for her to copy.

She took a deep breath, and felt the energy within her burn. She went through the set, and punched forward with her dominant hand. Zuko nodded in acceptance, and within a second, she began to round her leg over. At the height of the arc, she felt her chi surge down her leg and into the sole of her foot. Flames burst from her foot, licking the humid air around her and causing her to sweat even more. A combination of excitement, surprise and fatigue washed over her, and she felt her body crumple.

"Very good." Zuko approved, walking over to her. Without the ability to re-direct her flames, and lacking her ability to heal, Zuko kept a good distance between himself and the novice firebender whenever they trained.

"Wow." She mouthed breathlessly, trying to fill her suddenly starving lungs with air. "That felt amazing."

"It does, doesn't it?" He agreed, a small smile appearing on his face as he recalled the exhilarating memory of his first successful attempt at that set.

Zuko reached into his pocket, and pulled out a blue cloth. Unwrapping it, he wordlessly handed Katara back her beloved necklace, and she thanked him. She hated the thought of it accidentally being singed when she trained, so she decided to give it to him for safekeeping during their sessions. As she tied it around her neck, a memory flashed back into her mind, bringing a shy smile to her face.

"Hey, Zuko?"

"Yeah?"

"Do you remember when you tied me to that tree?"

"Oh, um, sorry. Sorry about that." He stuttered, a blush rapidly covering his face. He remembered alright – he had spent the next safe night he had chastising himself. 'Why would you tie her to a _tree_? How stupid are you?'

He had told his Uncle, who had told some of his shipmates under the influence of one too many a firewhisky, and the news that the Fire Prince had a "rope fetish" spread like wildfire on their ship.

He threatened to banish any of them that mentioned it again.

"It-it's fine." She tried to brush it off, hiding the blush on her own cheeks. "I just wanted to know, do you remember how you dangled my necklace in front of my neck?"

He just nodded.

"Well, I thought you ought to know that… in my tribe… no, in my culture… it's actually how we propose."

The silence that hung in the air only lasted a few seconds, but it was deafening.

"I am so sorry." He whispered, aghast. "I hope I didn't cause you or anyone any disrespect – I mean, I tied you to a tree so I understand if you were a little offended but I never meant to…!" The prince had a knack for stammering, and Katara just laughed.

"It's okay!" She laughed, true joyous giggles slipping between her words. "I just had a thought and wondered if you knew. It's no big deal at all! I don't think it counts if someone outside of the Water Nation does it anyway."

The thought hit them simultaneously, and they both brushed it off as quickly as they could, but it was futile. Both of them had to wonder – did it count? Would it count?

Under the guise of rumbling stomachs and hungry brothers, the pair changed the subject and quickly wandered back to the house, both too lost in their own thoughts and churning feelings to wonder what was on the other's mind.

/


	13. Sokka the Oblivious

**Chapter Thirteen:**

"Come into the city with us!" Suki excitedly exclaimed, grabbing Katara's hands. "There's a play on tonight, and there's going to be fantastic food!"

"You sound like Sokka…" Zuko mumbled, his eyes gazing over to the Water Tribe Warrior, whose eyes were glazed over with the thought of many cured meats. Suki rolled her eyes at Zuko's remark, and continued to eagerly chatter with Katara.

"What's the play?" Katara asked, feeling her friend's glee catch on.

"Love Amongst the Dragons!"

"Hey, Zuko, isn't that…" Katara asked, only to be answered with Zuko tensing in the slightest, almost invisible way.

"Yeah, my mother took us to that play every… single… year…"

"Does that mean you wouldn't mind missing it?" Sokka chimed in, enthusiastically jumping up from his seat and bouncing on his heels. "We could have some bro time, and you could show me the best places to eat, and we could get some extra food, and…"

"Sokka…" Zuko hated to play the disappointment. "It'll be really hard for me to go into the city. You know, it's the whole reason we elected you and Suki?"

"Why was that again?" Sokka asked, clutching at his chin. Katara cringed.

Zuko pointed at his scar, silently, and Sokka turned a shade of red that the Fire Nation would be proud of.

"Ah crap. Sorry man. I just don't see it anymore."

"Well, that's nice and all, but a lot of people do see it, and they know what it means. Meaning they would recognise me in a heartbeat."

"Ignore Mr Insensitive over there," Suki rolled her eyes. "It's just like how he keeps forgetting Toph is blind."

"Look, I see people and that's it! I don't see their flaws, or quirks, or anything. You are Zuko, Toph is Toph! I don't see you as Zuko the Scarred, and Toph the Blind."

"And you're just Sokka, the Oblivious." Katara groaned.

"Hey! AN-Y-WAY!" Sokka cried, trying to peel the glaring eyes of his sister and his girlfriend from his forehead. "I'm sorry. I just thought it'd be fun, getting into the city, and hanging out."

"It's okay man. Thanks anyway."

"Let's not give up just yet…" Katara mused. "Zuko, would you say that it's common for young men to get injured in the war?"

"Of course."

"And it wouldn't be uncommon for them to come to Ember Island to unwind, to recuperate before going back out?"

"Where are you going with this?"

"Why don't we just bandage you up? Pretend it's a fresh injury, and maybe even bandage an arm or a leg too, so it doesn't seem like you just took a fireball to the face."

"But I _did_ take a fire-"

"It's brilliant!" Sokka giddily jumped up and down, clutching on Suki's hand as she remained firmly on the ground. "I'll bandage myself up too, and it'll draw less suspicion!"

"What will you say about the fact that everyone has lost or switched bending?" Suki hated to be the buzz kill, but she knew that her dearest Sokka would say something stupid, and no disguise or fake story would get them out of it easily.

The group pondered for a while, until Katara broke the silence once again.

"By boat, how long does it take to get from Ba Sing Se to Ember Island?"

"A few days. Weeks if the sea is bad. Longer if you stop in other ports." Zuko answered. He had learnt by now not to answer questions with other questions. The answer was generally going to follow swiftly.

"So, is it plausible that you guys were fighting, then the bending switch happened, then you arrived here?"

Sokka and Zuko looked at one another, and simultaneously shrugged.

"And you said you had the brains, Sokka." Suki laughed.

"Hey!"

/

"You know Katara, this was a really clever idea." Zuko said, trying to break the awkward silence as Katara wrapped up his arm.

"Oh, thank you. I guess I've had a lot of experience hiding Aang's tattoos, so…" She mused, fixing the loose end of the bandage in place.

"Have you had to patch him up a lot? And your brother?"

Katara sighed.

"More times than I can count. The worst of it was always after battles with your sister, actually." She cringed. "The worst, of course, was in the catacombs…"

Silence filled the air once again.

"But, I suppose, I learnt early on how to heal with my waterbending, so patching them up was more for comfort than for function."

"What does it feel like? To heal?"

"Hm…" she pondered, grabbing a new bandage to finish the 'wounded' arm. "it's pretty chilling, at first. Feeling chi pulsate is one thing, but feeling someone else's chi, commanding their tissue to heal… it's exhilarating."

"Sounds like bending lightning."

"I can only imagine…"

"No, but seriously. Uncle taught me how to direct lightning, after he taught himself from watching water benders. You feel that energy enter you – a foreign energy – and you manipulate it to exit you. It's exhilarating."

"The only difference is that healing doesn't take someone else's chi into your own, you just manipulate it externally."

"…do you think I could learn how to heal?" Zuko asked. Katara paused, calculating.

"Perhaps. Some waterbenders can't. Aang can't. Not saying that if Aang can't you can't, but I wouldn't get too disappointed if you couldn't. We don't even know the extent of this swap…"

"I just… thought it'd be worth asking." Subconsciously he moved his hand up to his scar, and Katara felt a pang in her heart.

"I'm sorry… I don't know if we can heal old wounds. Maybe with the spirit water, but…"

"No, I'm sorry. About that day. You know."

"Zuko." She took his hand down from his eye, and held it in her warm hands. "We're past this, okay? It took me a while, but I have finally let go of all the hurt and anger I had from that day. We have both made mistakes. You have more than made up for it, and it's in the past. Please. Do not sit on this."

"I just am so glad you didn't heal me." He muttered, breathing out like he had been holding his breath for more than a moment. "If you did, then Aang…"

"We can't live on what ifs. What if you had stayed with me—us? What if I had healed you? What if we won that battle? What if we didn't get out in time? What if the spirit water failed? It's all pointless to ponder, because we are here now and we have to move forward."

"You know, Sokka really isn't the brains of this operation." Zuko laughed. "I think you just let him think he is."

"Hmph." Katara crossed her arms, her brows furrowed but a small smile playing on her lips. "Don't tell him. I'll never forgive you."

"I promise." He laughed. "Now, let's cover this ugly thing up."

"You know, we're not covering it because – "

"I know, Katara." Now the air was awkward again, and he hated it. He hated feeling turmoil in his stomach, and electricity in his chest. He hated this feeling, because it was oh so similar to how he felt the last time he was on Ember Island, but all together very different. Before, he was torn between what was right and what was wrong, and wasn't sure what his path truly was. Now, he was torn between what he might be feeling, and he wasn't sure if it was a feeling he wanted to face.

She hated the awkward air too. She enjoyed her time with Zuko, and loved how they could sit in comfortable silence almost every night. This was anything but a comfortable silence. She wanted to say something – anything – but she knew whatever she would say would come out wrong. She wanted to hold him, and to tell him it was OK, and that she'd always listen. She wanted to hurt the man who did this to him. She wanted to know why being with him bought out so many feelings within herself, but at the same time she feared the truth.

"Should I bandage…?" She hesitated, cursing herself for not being more confident.

"Yeah." He barely made a sound. As her warm fingers danced along his skin, along his scar, he felt waves of nausea and giddiness form in his stomach simultaneously. Her warm skin was different to how he remembered it – in the catacombs, it was cool and comforting. Her touch was the same – light and gentle. If he were still a firebender, he swore that he could have bent the electricity running through him in this moment. She brushed his hair aside to allow the bandages to cover his face, and even the feeling of her hands in his hair made him tingle.

"Are you okay?" She asked, trying not to look him in the eye, lest he see the blush steadily growing across her cheeks.

"Mm. It's just…" he inhaled deeply. "You're the only person I've ever let touch it. My scar."

Katara hesitated, but only for a second. The second was long enough for Zuko to notice, but he tried his best to ignore it. That kind of truth would stun anyone.

"Thank you." She managed, finishing up her work.

"No, thank you." He smiled, and she felt like he had lit a fire within her. Her cheeks were growing warmer, and her heart was beating so fast she almost thought it would burst from her ribcage. "How do I look?"

"Like a warrior." She stammered.

"Like a man who needs a good piece of meat to wash away the taste of war, my friend"! Sokka butted in, his steps echoed by the walking cane Katara had found in the house. He was already bandaged up – Suki and Katara had done it before Katara had come to Zuko.

"Sokka, I think meat is the last thing on a man's mind when he comes back from war." Zuko grinned impishly. "My friend, you and I are going to taste fire whisky tonight."

"But he's only-!"

"Only a man come back from war, you silly woman!"

In a flash, Katara's palm lit up, and Sokka felt the colour drain from his face.

"I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry I'm sorry!" He yelped, running away without his cane. "I miss when you were a water bender!"

/

Suki and Katara sat in the theatre, in seats eerily close to where they had sat as a team to watch the Ember Island Player's version of their adventures. Suki had gone and picked out snacks already.

"I guess dating my brother will do that to you." Katara laughed, filling her mouth with fire flakes. Now her core body temperature was a little warmer, she felt she could enjoy them more than before.

"Sadly, my first instinct has become 'where is the nearest food source', instead of anything else!"

"Yep, that's Sokka. When it was just Aang, Sokka and I, the first question he'd ask when we'd land Appa would be 'what kind of meat is there'?"

"And yet he got upset that that's how they portrayed him in the play!"

"Even though it's probably the most accurate thing we saw that whole day!"

"Yeah!" Suki giggled, looking around her slyly. "So, was anything else accurate in that play?"

"Well, Aang's not a woman, if that's what you're asking." Katara teased. She loved spending time with Suki – just two girls, two normal girls, spending time together outside the threshold of war.

"And Toph's not a burly dude. No, I mean, was that stuff with you and Jet real?"

Katara rolled her eyes, a blush once more creeping along her cheeks.

"Not exactly like that, but yes. Jet and I had a thing… before he tried to drown a town. I guess I liked the bad-boy thing, and how caring he seemed initially. We kissed once! That's it, I swear!"

"Ooh there we go, the truth comes out! Has there been any other boys?" Suki poked.

"Nope! I mean, Aang and I have kissed, but it was more him kissing me…. It's confusing. And what about you? Any guys back in Kyoshi?"

"Nuh-uh sister, we aren't done with you yet! So, there's been Aang, and Jet… and Zuko?"

"Suki!" Katara yelped, turning heads. She ducked in embarrassment, and elbow jabbed Suki as she stifled a giggle.

"What? You have to say, you two are spending an _awful_ amount of time together…"

"So are you and Sokka!"

"But we're _dating_."

"Yeah-but-it's… he's the only one around!"

"You could spend time with us you know."

"No-one wants to interrupt that, Suki…"

"No! Ewww, Katara. Come on. You. Zuko. Are you a thing yet?"

"No!"

"Well, I think there might be something that you're not telling me." Suki crossed her arms, feigning hurt. "What could it be that you're not telling me? Your best girl friend?"

"Suki…" Katara whined. "There's nothing between him and I! We just… we are just friends. And I like spending time with him. And we're teaching each other, you know, bending. And…" She couldn't hide the blush anymore, it was like her whole body had been dipped in pink pigment.

"You're loving this, aren't you?" She whimpered. Suki grinned.

"I am!"

"Look… I don't know what's going on… and it's hard for me right now to sort it out… just don't get the wrong idea… and don't tell Sokka…"

"Well, he already thinks there is something going on, and I wouldn't be surprised if he's having the exact same chat right now."

"Oh gods…" Katara hugged at her knees, hiding her face in shame. "I haven't even said I liked him or anything. Why do I feel so embarrassed?"

"Because you're lying to yourself, dummy." Suki's cheeks hurt from smiling. "Let's just leave it at that, enjoy the play, and we can talk more later, kay?"

"Kay…"

/

 _Thanks for reading! Sorry uploading is so staggered now, but I knew it would be. I hope you're enjoying! I made this extra long & put up two chapters to say sorry! I don't have any in the "bank" now, but hopefully I'll write a lot again soon and have some backed up :)_

 _Right now I'm trying to balance fluff and plot, and wanted to have some bonding time between Katara and Suki too. I just keep dragging it out! I hope you don't mind..._

 _I_ do _want to write about what is happening with Toph and Aang, but my heart really isn't in it right now. Maybe I will, or maybe I'll leave that to your imagination ;) hahaha. What is the Guru doing? And why isn't it all fixed? Oh my... so much to cover!_

 _Thanks for all the reviews, favourites, follows and views! They mean the world to me :)_

 _Until next time!_


	14. Festivities

_**A/N: So, it's been a while. I apologise! I thought this might happen. It has been a while since the writing bug bit me again - thanks work... but here we are!**_

 **Chapter Fourteen:**

Try as she might to enjoy the play wholeheartedly, Katara couldn't shake the niggling feeling that Suki had planted in her mind. Every time the leads would talk about love, Katara would feel a blush travel from her head to her toes. She felt a tad offended at the lead antagonist being a Dark _Water_ Spirit, but was able to find herself engrossed in the story at times. She couldn't help but smile when she realised that Zuko's _Blue Spirit_ mask was directly taken from the play, and she wholeheartedly intended to ask him about it later. Of course, as soon as she thought about talking to him, her heart skipped again and the warm flush of confusion ran over her body anew.

The air in the Fire Nation was laced with humidity, and it did not take long for droplets of perspiration to form along the girls' foreheads as they left the theatre. Suki stretched out, and Katara swore she could hear her joints popping in their sockets.

"Well, wasn't that something!" Suki grinned, and Katara suspected that another interrogation was about to occur.

"I really liked it. I was particularly impressed with the music! What was that horn-thing that we could hear? It was… beautiful."

"I think it was a tsungi horn…" Suki contemplated. She wiped the sweat from her brow, and sighed. "I don't know how anyone could survive in this heat. It's just… torturous." Katara giggled, pooling her cascading locks into her hands, fashioning it into a makeshift bun to cool off her neck.

"No clue." She looked around, absentmindedly looking for the teenage boy with the bandaged face.

"Looking for someone?" Suki asked, her right eyebrow arching up, a sly smile spreading across her face. Katara flushed, but was determined to stay calm. Suki wasn't going to let this go.

"We left those two loose in the fire nation tonight. Aren't you somewhat concerned?"

Suki sighed, her brows now furrowed. She had been worrying about them all night, hoping that Zuko's cautiousness and Sokka's… instincts… kept them out of trouble. She was disappointed to hear this from Katara, hoping her friend had only one male on her mind – but, of course, this was Katara. She still suspected there was something going on between the exiled prince and the water tribe girl, but she wasn't so thick that she didn't pick up on the fact that Katara was not wanting to talk about it. If she had to hazard a guess, she would have to say that Katara probably didn't even realise the spark between them herself. She was, after all, the sister of Sokka – the densest man on the planet.

Looking out from the balcony of the theatre where they stood, shining lights and colourful tents caught Suki's eye.

"Don't worry. I have an idea of where they'll be."

/

Suki's gut instinct was correct – the lights and tents were part of a small festival. Zuko had warned them that Ember Island had a festival almost every second week, all in the name of how great their nation was. Expecting chaos and bedlam, bodies and anger, Katara was taken aback. There were people everywhere, yes, but they were gliding past one another seamlessly, like ocean currents. The smell of charred meats and carefully selected spices wafted through the air, and Katara could feel her stomach grumble in response. She had never thought the Fire Nation could celebrate in a way that was almost… water tribe.

"I wonder how it felt for them to light these lanterns without bending?" Suki pondered, and the weight of her question hit Katara like a komodo-rhino. The bending swap was not just limited to their little group – it was at least fire nation-wide, and potentially worldwide. She felt a pang of worry for her friends in other nations. Her family in the south would be fine – she was the only bender, and they were perfectly capable of surviving without her. She hoped the same could be said for the North, who were a proud bending nation. Her mind flittered to Master Pakku, and she hoped that he and his pupils were doing well. The Earth Kingdom may be suffering, as many of their towns relied heavily on their earth moving powers. Here they were, in the Fire Nation, and it was clear that the lack of bending was not going to weigh them down. There was dancing, there was laughter, there was food, there was music, and there was fire.

It was honestly heart-warming. It made Katara feel hopeful – more hopeful than she had felt since her waterbending was taken away from her.

The girls wandered through the crowd, and couldn't help but stare in awe at the kaleidoscope of colours and the orchestra of joyful laughter. The atmosphere was electric. There was a magic in the air, and with every breath they inhaled in a sense of wonder.

It didn't take long for them to find their friends – the boys were walking back from a food stall, Sokka's arms much fuller than Zuko's. Suki and Katara noticed them before they saw the girls, and Katara's eyes instantly fell to Zuko.

He looked right at home, his skin glistening beneath the lanterns. She had never seen him look so relaxed, which she didn't expect. There were no frown lines present on his face. Gone was the vision of a prince long exiled from home – from love. Before her was a young man, tranquil and at home. A blush adorned Katara's face as she realised she was staring. Suddenly his eye flickered over to her, and she couldn't help but respond with a large grin, her embarrassment be damned. He looked surprised at first, and then he too responded with the biggest smile she'd ever seen grace his face.

That damn smile could have melted her right there and there.

"Suki!" Shouted Sokka, his mouth inexplicably half-filled with what could only be presumed to be some form of meat. He ran over to the girls, and Katara realised that she and Zuko were still staring at one another. She awkwardly broke the eye-contact, and acknowledged her brother and Zuko as they arrived before them.

Sokka excitedly asked about the play, and Suki attempted to explain, only to be interrupted by Sokka three words into her description.

"Yuck, yeah yeah smoosh smoosh, sounds very romantic. I'm glad you had an enjoyable time. _We_ , on the other hand, have been enjoying many exquisite manly meals – "

"– you didn't even hear anything about the – " Katara interjected, only to be completely disregarded.

"– and we have been enjoying the festival here, and we were hoping you'd join us!" Suki giggled, and stole a pork bun from Sokka's hoard of food.

"That sounds lovely." She smiled. Every now and again she found herself frustrated by Sokka, but it was times like this she realised exactly why she liked him. He was someone who had faced so much, but was still able to keep his innocence. Only Sokka, and maybe Aang, could be so centrally located in enemy territory and find the means and time to assimilate. They refused to let the war stop them from being themselves, being human. It would've been so easy to sulk all the time, to focus on the end goal and forget about fun. Sokka knew how to balance.

Without him, she would've been stuck in the Boiling Rock.

No.

Without him, she would have never left Kyoshi Island. If he hadn't bought her hope that there was a chance to end this war, she wouldn't have found the courage to leave. Who is to say that, if they hadn't visited, Kyoshi Island would still be in one piece?

But now was not the time for such contemplations. Tonight was a night for relaxation, fun, and feasts.

"Sokka, are you drunk?"

/

"So the play was good?" Zuko asked Katara. The four of them were wandering through the crowds, taking in the sights. They had tried to keep up with Suki and Sokka as they excitedly ran around the festival, like children in a sweet bun shop, but in the end decided to let them go. Zuko admitted that he had indeed let Sokka try fire-whisky, but defended himself, saying it was the only thing that would shut him up. Since then, the boys had just walked, ate and talked.

Zuko was tight-lipped on their topic of conversations, though.

"It really was. I don't know why you think they messed it up!"

"One day I'll take you to see the original. Then you'll understand." Zuko offered, before realising what he had just said. He felt a warmth creep over his cheeks, and for a second thought he spied a similar shade spread across Katara's face.

"I-I guess I'll have to wait until then, huh?" Katara stammered, trying to keep her composure.

 _This was ridiculous_ , she thought to herself.

"Yep." He replied, trying to prevent an awkward silence.

 _Good one Zuko. You created the awkward silence. You're useless._

They walked a little more, before Katara cleared her throat.

"Know anywhere we can get a drink?" She asked. "I think I'll need to be here a little while longer before fire-flakers don't burn my mouth."

Zuko laughed, and Katara swore she would commit this moment to memory.

"I'm sure there's somewhere nearby. You know, you shouldn't be affected by fire-flakes, seeing as you're a firebender now. I think you need to toughen up, Princess." He didn't know where this bravery was coming from.

"Oh? Is that so? In that case, you can sleep without a tent from now on – you should be fine with the rain, and the cold, seeing as you're a waterbender." She bit back, a playful glint in her eye.

"Ugh, I wish you wouldn't remind me. And don't pretend like I haven't seen you and your brother in those awful, thick parkas. You feel the cold just as much as anyone else, water bending or not."

"Well, you should be able to deflect rain by now – so go on, next time it rains, give me your tent."

"That's totally unfair! It's not the same thing at all!"

"I don't want to hear it. Now, get me a drink, waterbender!"

Zuko sighed, the fire within him that would normally egg him on in a verbal fight dimmed. He didn't know what it was – the warm familiarity of home, the calming evening air, or something else that made him feel content with losing this fight. Usually he would argue, get the last word in, and never admit defeat. Yet, here he was, content with Katara teasing him, calling him a _waterbender_ for Agni's sake.

If only Uncle could see him now.

He inwardly groaned at that thought. Uncle, for all his good points, was also a hopeless romantic and meddler. He knew that if Iroh even suspected there was anything between him and Katara, he'd never hear the end of it.

Not that there was anything going on, right?

True, he couldn't help but smile whenever she was around, but that was because she was his friend. Yes, he sometimes found himself blushing, but surely it was the heat. Not emotions. Definitely not.

No matter what Sokka suspected.

Right?

The more he thought he didn't want to think about it, the more he found his thoughts invaded by thoughts of the blue eyed waterbender… no, firebender…

As if being a teenage boy, an exiled prince, in the middle of a war wasn't hard enough. This elemental swap was ridiculous. He missed feeling the internal burn of his inner fire, fuelling him, giving him purpose. He missed rising with the sun, feeling the pulsation of the sun's rays at his core. He hoped Aang was making progress, wherever he was.

/

"Water, for the delicate peasant."

"You gotta get your insults straight, Z—Lee." They were sat on stacks of hay in a field of food stalls and dancers. Katara made sure to use Zuko's nickname when it was possible that others could hear them. He was unrecognisable to the masses – he hadn't been home in 3, no, 4 years? Zuko admitted he had lost count. With his scar covered and his hair out, he was not a vision of the prince he used to be. Regardless, for their group's safety, Zuko had them refrain from using his real name unless they were completely alone.

"I'm sorry, I'll stick to peasant." He retorted, taking a sip of his tea.

"And if I said that wasn't good enough?" She counted, enjoying the refreshing feeling of water taking the edge off her burning tongue.

"Well, I'd say too bad." He grinned, and Katara felt the cup in her hand drop in temperature.

Zuko had frozen her water.

"You son of a - - you - - !" Katara was at a loss for words. She glared at him, and melted it before taking another drink.

"Nice. I couldn't even tell you were bending that time."

"Same to you, but do you really think that freezing my water in the middle of a fire festival was the smartest idea, _Lee_?"

He didn't have a comeback.

"… well, you unfroze it, so where's the harm?"

"You're good, I'll give you that, but you gotta think things through."

"You sound just like Uncle." Zuko sighed, and suddenly he felt his mood drain a little. Katara, sensing this change in his demeanour, absentmindedly reached out to grab his hand.

"Come on. Let's call it a night." Katara offered, standing. She still held his hand in hers.

"No, it's okay. We can stay." He didn't want to ruin her night, too.

"Z—Lee…."

He squeezed her hand, and stood up too.

"OK. Let's go home."

It was homeward they walked.

It was homeward all hell broke loose.

/

 _ **Thank you to everyone who has been leaving reviews, liking and following this story! I PROMISE I will finish it. PROMISE. I want to finish it THIS YEAR. We are about half way, if not a little over - honestly it's writing itself and I have no control, so...**_

 _ **I do apologise if there are mistakes littered throughout, I smashed it out and couldn't wait to upload... sorry!**_

 _ **I apologise if I'm resorting back to age old cliche's (I mean, a festival? Really?) - I intended this to be a ~fresh~ Zutara story, and I intend to keep it different... but I am a sucker for the cliches. They work!**_

 _ **That being said, I also know I'm kind of neglecting the bender swapping element? This chapter I tried to allude to it several times, but here's the thing: I can't keep having Zuko and Katara harp on about being ~disconnected from their element~, and I can't just write action scenes of them training. I hope my intended pacing comes through, and that it doesn't feel A) rushed or B) too slow - I want it to feel realistic.**_

 _ **Now I'm waffling again.**_

 _ **To those who have stuck around, and those who have come back, and those who have just arrived - hello, and thank you!**_

 _ **Reviews always, always welcome 3**_

 _ **Until the next chapter!**_


	15. Silver Knuckles, Silver Moon

**Teach Me - Chapter 15 - Silver Knuckles, Silver Moon**

They walked away from the festivities after deciding it would be almost impossible to find Suki and Sokka in the crowds. Their home on the island wasn't that far away, but it was still far enough away that the twinkling lights of the festival could not lighten their path the whole way.

Katara's palm lit up, illuminating their path. Not one to pass up an impromptu teaching session, Zuko tested her on how far she could cast her light. He was impressed, but not surprised, as she seamlessly passed his test. He couldn't help but feel a glow within himself, pride swelling up in his core. He wondered if this is how Uncle had felt as he taught Zuko.

As she emitted her light in the largest radius around them, she saw something that made her taste blood.

There was a body, twisted and contorted on the ground. It was small – a woman, or a child. Katara felt one of Zuko's sturdy hand on her shoulder as the other clasped over her mouth. She didn't feel like she was about to scream, but the safety of his palms was not unwelcome. Still, there was a body there, and she had to get to it. Now.

His eyes instantly darted around, looking for signs of danger. Katara struggled under his grip, her instinct to run over to the body. He pulled her closer, pressing her back against his chest, insisting she stay still.

"Zuko!" She muffled, under his palm. He could feel tears rushing down her cheek, moistening his fingers. He squeezed her shoulder, trying to say _I know, I know._

"You know you can't heal now, Katara." He dropped his voice low, whispering so close to her ear that his lips grazed her skin. "Whoever attacked might still be near. Be on your guard." He let her go, and she instantly broke into a sprint. Instinctively, she grabbed at her left hip, and had to suppress a frustrated cry when she realised that even if her waterskin was on her, there was nothing she could do. Keeping her flame lit, she knelt beside the body, inspecting, praying to Tui and La.

The body was a young boy, no older than Aang. His leg was clearly broken, and his face was bloodied, but he was breathing. The bruises on his face and limbs were dark, splotchy messes, and she suspected they weren't caused by normal knuckles. Katara watched the rise and fall of his chest, and laid her head on him, listening for his heart. It was racing, but pumping along in any case. She cast her eyes up at Zuko, who was facing away from them, keeping his eyes and ears peeled for any sign of movement.

"Zuko." She breathed. He turned to her, and she indicated he kneel beside her. "I need you to help me."

"How?"

"We… need to take him…"

"We can't. You know that." Zuko muttered, sadly.

"I… well, we need to get help for him. Zuko, he's so badly injured, and I… I can't…" Tears were freely streaming down her face. She gulped for air, suppressing sobs into her fist. Her left palm still illuminated the area around them, as the only other light from the moon trickled in sparsely.

"Katara…" He knelt down beside her, gazing into her panicked eyes. "Tell me what to do."

"I… we just need to get help…"

"I think you'll need more than help, missy." A third voice entered the woods, booming loud and clear. The pair sprung up, standing back to back, fists raised. Katara thought about snuffing out the fire in her hand, but knew it too little too late. Instead, she let the embers burn, feeling her temper and eagerness to fight flare up in her core.

Neither said a word, and the mysterious man laughed. He came into view, stepping from behind the shadows cast by the trees. He instantly reminded Katara of Combustion Man – a tall, broad man, with more muscle than neck. From what she could see, he had no third eye, as a mop of curly hair covered his forehead.

"Cat-owl got your tongue?" He spat. "You are a real enigma, missy. Didn't nobody tell you that the firebendings off? Hows come you still gots a fire in your fist?"

Again, the duo kept silent. Katara could hear Zuko's teeth grind.

"Now ye's just pissing me off." He grunted, cracking his knuckles. Katara felt Zuko tense up, like a tigerdillo ready to pounce. Suddenly the man ambushed forward, faster than Katara had imagined given his size. She felt Zuko swiftly leave her side, dashing towards the attacker.

Casting an eye on the boy's body, Katara felt torn.

The attacker was fast, but not fast enough to cause Zuko real issues. He dodged the fists of the man, who he soon realised was adorned with steel.

That explained the bruises on the young boy's body.

But why?

"Lissen boy, is not you I really care abouts you see? It's the girl. Lemme have her, and you's can run off happy as a clam. You hear? She's worth more than a pocket of gold, and that's even before I gets to the bottom of her fire."

That comment earnt a swift blow to the jaw. He may not have felt his inner fire burn like it used to, but Zuko still felt hatred boil in the bottommost pits of his stomach. How dare he. How _dare_ he!

"Prick." The man spat, a fresh glob of blood hitting the dirt. "That youngin' had a temper like you too, had to teach 'im a lesson after trying to pick me pocket." He took a swing at Zuko, who expertly dodged, before he sprung towards Katara.

She yelped as she attempted to move out of the way, but he was too fast. She felt his body crash into hers, sending them flying. The young boy's body laid at her feet. The man grabbed at her throat, his knee uncomfortably heavy on her chest. She tried to kick him off, but she could feel his grip on her throat tighten. Zuko came with fists of fury, but the man knocked him back with one swing of his forearm. Katara heard Zuko gasp as he hit a nearby tree, the bark cracking under the force of Zuko's impact.

He felt dizzy. The world before him danced and twirled, glimmers of fire circling in the shadows. He tried to get up, but faltered. This would not do. Taking in a deep breath, he tried to regain his centre.

As he breathed, he felt an odd pull. It was if something was tugging at his stomach, at his arms, at his essence. Something was begging him closer, like a siren at sea.

"Now, about that fire…" the man grumbled, his grip on Katara's neck becoming even firmer.

Gathering all the energy she could muster, she swathed her right fist in burning flames, and thrust it forward. She felt a crack under her enclosed fingers, and the assailant's shock gave her an opportunity to free her neck as Zuko came flying back through. He landed a swift kick against the guys excuse for a neck, which dislodged him from Katara's frame completely. He landed with a splash – there appeared to be a small body of water in this section of the woods.

"You…" he muttered, spitting blood. Katara's right fist still glowed with a forgotten fire, illuminating the scene. Her eyes caught Zuko's, and flittering between him and the water, he understood.

The pale reflection of the full mon continued to dance between tree leaves above.

"I'll – what the -?" The man tried to get up, but found himself inexplicably frozen on the floor of the water. Katara saw Zuko flick his wrist, and before her eyes, a perfectly formed water whip manifested next to their enemy. With a second swift flick, the whip hit its mark – a pressure point at the back of his neck.

With a thud, the man fell unconscious.

"Katara!" Zuko exhaled, running to her side. She stood up and dusted herself off, shaking as she did so. The fire in her hand disappeared, and in the darkness she felt strong arms encase her.

"The… the boy…" She cried, too shocked from the recent events to fully take in the moment. Her whole body shook, the adrenalin rush vanishing. Zuko mentally shook his head at her selflessness. She just went through a traumatic ordeal, and instead of being concerned about herself, she instantly continued worrying about the boy.

"It's too dangerous to take him to our home, and it would look awfully suspicious if we carried him back to town. We're probably covered in blood and dirt. It'll cast suspicion on us – and when that guy comes to, he's going to look for us. If he finds out we…"

"I know." She interjected. "I just… what can we do?" She gripped onto the front of his shirt, and pounded her first in frustration. He rubbed her hair, placing his nose and lips on the top of her head.

"I know." He could feel his head racing, trying to think. "I'm so sorry I can't heal him, Katara." His voice broke in regretful shame.

"No… I just wish… I wish I could scream out, help, he's here…" Suddenly a lightbulb went off in the young prince's mind.

"Flares."

"What?" She looked up at him, and for the first time she realised how much he towered over her.

"Shoot fireballs straight up. It'll work like a flare. We use it at sea to signal a ship needs help, or for directions. It'd normally work, but with the bend-swap, more people would be sure to get attention. Someone will find them here." His golden eyes, illuminated by sparse moonlight, filled her with confidence.

"OK."

She took a step back, and took a deep breath.

Firebending was all in the breath.

She punched up into the air, one fireball shooting straight up above her, lighting up the sky. She shot a second, then a third.

And then they ran, like ninjas through the forest, as far away as they could.

/

Neither of them said anything as they ran. What was there to say?

Even as they arrived back at their secluded beach house, neither muttered a single syllable.

Slowing to a halt on the beach, Zuko doubled over, grabbing at his knees. It was his turn to have his adrenalin rush fade. He could still taste the bitterness in his mouth, and feel the rage in his stomach. Of course, along the way, he had met thugs, and he knew what sorts of things they did. He had simply accepted t as part of the world he lived in, until now. Now, it was a reality. Now, it attacked someone he…

Someone… he…

 _Agni, why is it so hard to just say it?_

"Thank you." Katara spoke, noticing her companion had stopped. She walked to him and placed her hand on his shoulder. "You did so well toni-" She was cut off by Zuko standing at his full height, and let out a tiny yelp in surprise as he wrapped his arms securely around her frame.

"Zuk…o…" she mumbled into his chest _,_ her arms enclosing around his waist.

"I don't know what I would've done if you had gotten hurt." He exhaled. "I don't think I've ever been that worried."

"I was never in too much danger." She countered, her cheeks burning bright. She was thankful for the fact he could not see her.

"I don't care." He replied, pulling himself away so he could see her face. "Are you sure you're OK?"

She nodded, a sweet smile crawling across her face. "Thanks to you, I am."

He pulled her back in. "Thank Agni."

He kissed her on the forehead, and he could have sworn he felt her place her lips against his chest. He wondered if she was aware of it hammering away. He wondered if it mattered.

"I'm glad you're safe too." She replied, tightening her grip.

Days could have passed for all they knew, as they stood there in an unapologetic embrace. Katara could feel the wind dance across her skin, and though she felt it's cool breath, she had never felt so contently warm in her life. She placed another soft kiss against his chest, and it was then that she came to terms with what she had known secretly for so long.

She had pitied him, once. She had hated him, at a time. Slowly, she began to forgive him. Then, she felt like he was her friend. Soon, he was her closest friend.

Now? Now she knew, without a doubt, that she was falling for him. She just hoped that he'd catch her.

Somehow, she wasn't afraid.

/

 **First fight scene with the swap-bending! With a real enemy!** **A real asshole, accurately** **. I once thought I'd make him related to the gaang in some way - a general who recognises Katara, a soldier who overhears her using Zuko's name... but then thought that it'd be more likely that a drunk asshole nearly got his pockets picked, decided to take the offending child to a secluded area, beat him to a pulp, and then have our heroes stumble across it.**

 **Hence, this plot bunny!**

 **I find it hard to think that, even after several weeks, Katara and Zuko would be progressing too quickly with their swap-bending training. We saw just how slow it was for Katara to really pick it up - and that was only after she found a master. Yes, Katara is a master now and can train Zuko, but lacking her own bending to show him makes it near on impossible. I like to think of bending like dancing - it'd be almost impossible to teach someone a dance without showing them, and even if they could show you some moves, without seeing it all together, it'd be a slower process. So, that's why I didn't have Katara spewing out fireballs, or Zuko using an octopus formation to knock this guy out. Not only are they at a disadvantage with being taught, but just like Aang had difficulty with earthbending, I always intended these two to have issues.**

 **Still, they survived! And we got a small sweet scene out of it!**

 **Part of me: wow maybe this is a little quick, a little fast to push on the "Maybe I like him/love him" game  
Also me: KRIS IT'S 15 CHAPTERS INTO A ZUTARA FIC I THINK WE GET IT NOW SO COME ON GET ON IT! **

**Hehe.**

OK, long author's note, done!

Until next time!


	16. Right Time, Right Place

**Chapter Sixteen:**

"You know, Katara… You _can_ tell me anything." It was rare for Sokka to plead. It was rare for Katara to see her brother like this – no jokes. No sarcasm. No plan. Just concern.

The tide was on its way out as Katara made her way down, and Sokka had made a point to follow Katara out there too. He had found Zuko outside, pacing last night. Katara had apparently gone to bed, but Zuko was obviously stressed about something – and it wasn't the waning moon cycle.

She didn't respond.

"I heard about last night. I'm sorry we weren't there." He offered, standing next to his sibling. "We had no idea until we got back. We even saw the flares, but…" he sighed. "I guess it never crossed our minds it was you. Zuko told us when we got back. This swap has just…" flailing, Sokka searched his sister's face for any signs of interaction. Instead, he found her, glass eyed, staring at the sea. He knew this look. No amount of bender swapping would ever take away this look. Katara was lost in her own world, desperate for answers.

After a time, she answered, her tone heavy and monotonous.

"I always felt torn about this situation. I've learnt so much these past few weeks, about what it's like to fight without water, what it's like to play with fire." She fiddled with her mother's necklace, looking for courage. "I've felt hope that Ozai was weakened, but also can't help but feel lost without the universe correcting itself. I've always been a healer. But last night… last night…"

"I know it's hard, Katara. But I'm sure that boy is okay. You've seen so much worse, even before you became a healer, and you've seen how people pull through. I know you feel guilty, and I know Zuko does too."

"Why would Zuko feel guilty?" She startled. That was a curveball she was not expecting.

"I guess you two should talk about it, but I think I get the gist from our talk last night. He feels like he should live up to your name. He has your ability, but couldn't help."

"I already told him that not ever waterbender is a healer – "

"I know, and he knows, but look, sis, you got hurt too last night. I'm just so glad he was there to have your back." Sokka's gaze flickered over Katara's skin – dark bruises slowly adorning her neck and her arms. Zuko had warned him, but he still felt sick to his stomach imagining his baby sister being hurt like that. Somehow, it was different when it was elemental. It was like it was magic, and less serious when benders fought. This felt more real. This felt like something he, as the older brother, should have been there to stop.

"Just tell me the truth – are you okay, Katara?" His concern burned into her, and she wanted to both punch him and hug him. He was a pig, a warrior, a little crazy, and the best brother she could have ever wished for.

"I am. Thanks, Sokka."

The pair stood in simple silence, like they had done for years in a lifetime long past. Now, instead of a glacial tundra, they stood overlooking a never-ending expansion of the tropical ocean, it's waves harmoniously crashing upon the shore.

"Have you seen him this morning?" Katara suddenly blurted, fidgeting with her necklace once again. She wasn't sure why she suddenly felt compelled to ask. Sure, her first thought when she woke, the sunlight barely dancing through her window, was to go to him and make sure he was okay. She knew he was knocked around too last night – another person she couldn't heal.

She also knew something had shifted between them last night, and it was that exact thought that stopped her from separating herself from her inhibitions and barge into his room, wanting to know answers to questions she couldn't even verbalise.

"No. We had a good talk last night though. Honestly Katara, I don't think I've ever seen him more… unhinged. He was beside himself. He even seemed scared to see me! Like I'd be angry at him for what happened!" He scoffed, chuckling to himself. "I know I'm intimidating, but he's my buddy, and I _know_ he had your back." Katara smiled, despite her churning concern – a notion Sokka couldn't help but notice. He sucked in his breath, and exhaled loudly.

"You know… You _can_ tell me _anything_." He echoed his previous statement, this time his implications much less serious. His vague statement hung heavy in the air, its allegations weaving in the ocean breeze around them.

"I know Sokka." She smiled, hoping they weren't about to have the discussion she was envisioning. Not yet. Not whilst everything was still so inconclusive.

"Katara… I know." He stated, simply. "I don't know what to say. Suki and I have seen it coming for a while now."

"I don't know what you mean..." She coyly whispered.

"I know you guys probably haven't even really talked about it yourselves yet. Just know that, no matter what happens, or who you choose, or whatever – I'm okay with it." He shrugged, not sure if he was supposed to feel so relieved. "It's been a rough road. Tui, hasn't it been a long road. But I see how you two are together. Don't let your perceived, expected reactions from others hinder what may be something great."

She stared at him, in dumbfounded shock. Blinking, she shook her head, and let out a genuine laugh.

"Just when I think you're an idiot, you go spurting sage advice like you're sixty years old." She punched him. "Next thing you know, you'll start drinking tea like it's going out of fashion."

"Only if it's not Zuko who brews it." He replied, understanding the hidden undertones in her reaction – the only way a sibling could. He knew he got his message across, and that she was okay.

They laughed, and although the world was still heavy and cruel, for a moment, the air around them was clearer than it had been for a long time.

/

Zuko was, indeed, brewing tea when Katara and Sokka found their way back to the house. They had taken their time on the way back, openly questioning what their loved ones were doing. They pondered what Master Pakku was planning, and if Dad and Bato were okay. They cast their minds back to the swamp benders, to the citizens of Gaoling and Toph's parents, and even to the cabbage merchant, wondering how the war was affecting them. As they walked past Appa's empty stable, they finally broached the subject of Aang. Sokka was concerned that it had been two weeks already and they had heard nothing from him or Toph, whilst Katara was more reassured by the fact they hadn't seen the duo – it likely meant they were actively figuring out an answer to this bending mess. If they had reappeared earlier, it would indicate to her that there were no answers.

They agreed that they needed to have a team meeting today, to decide what their next few moves were going to be. They had plans laid out to choose from, but they needed to choose which path to follow.

They were deep in this discussion when they walked into the house and found Zuko bending tea into individual cups. There were three cups on the bench, and Katara stifled a giggle as Sokka's face blanched, realising a cup was meant for him. A man could only be kind about a buddy's leaf-juice for so long before he revolted.

"If you need your tea warmed up, I'm happy to oblige." She teased, whilst greeting Zuko with a genuine smile. She felt his eyes cast themselves up and down her frame, and she knew he could see every wound she had. He too bore a decent few bruises, the most prominent caressing his jaw in a blotchy purple splatter. She was reminded of the child's bruised body, and a wave of worry crashed on her. She gripped at her tea tighter, begging this anxious bubble to dissipate.

"Get any sleep buddy?" Sokka asked, taking a swig of his tea. Bitter, but not the worst. Besides – though he hid it well – he could feel the aftermath of firewhiskey pulsating in his skull. The bitter tea was, somehow, brashly refreshing.

"Eventually, yeah."

 _I've never seen him more unhinged. He was beside himself._

Her brother's words echoed in her mind, and she felt that burning desire to speak to Zuko – alone – rise again. She saw the circles under his eyes, and cursed herself for retiring early when her friend was in turmoil.

"What about you, Katara?" He asked, and her tongue went dry. She didn't know what to say.

She stuck with the truth.

"I tossed and turned. I don't know if I slept, but I had to have, considering I dreamt. I just… every time I closed my eyes… I saw…" Her eyes clouded over with threatening tears, and she quickly wiped them away. "But uh, I'm okay. We did all we could, right?" Her pained smile fooled neither of the males in the room. They both took a step to comfort her, and shared an awkward gaze. Katara saw it all, and the laughter left her lips before she had a chance to stop it.

Oh La, who knew this would be so wildly awkward?

Sokka laughed as well, and an infectious chuckle made its way to the room from Zuko too. They laughed in unison, the unspoken truth nervously hanging in the air. Clearing his throat of a snicker, Sokka placed his cup down, and turned to the door.

"I'm going to wake up Suki. Then I say we eat!"

A smile was still painted across Katara's lips as he left, and before she knew it, Zuko was standing right in front of her. She opened her mouth to say something – not that she knew what to say – before he enveloped her in an embrace.

He said nothing. He didn't have to. There would be time to talk later, surely. All that was left unspoken would be released – just not now. Now, he just needed her warmth.

She wrapped her arms around his waist, sighing into him. She was worried that they'd wake up, the adrenaline now a distant memory, and that he'd say he was only so forward because of the events. She had dreamt – in her broken states of sleep – of rejection, of being alone with that horrid man, of the crippled boy… She had woken with concern in the pits of her stomach that he would, under the light of day and clarity of consciousness, tell her that it was a mistake to bare his vulnerability, that he didn't mean what he had implied.

He had woken with a similar concern on his mind, worried that it was all a dream, or that she would reject him and his forwardness.

She needn't have worried. Nor had he.

The embrace was broken after a time, enough for Katara to reach up to his jaw. Her fingers traced along its outline, her heart hammering away silently. Her eyes flickered between his lips and his bruise, her focus split.

"It's honestly not as bad as it looks." He stated, reading her cerulean eyes as they painted him with concern. He grabbed her hand as it lay on his face, relishing her touch. She smiled.

"Good, because it looks awful." She took her hand out of his and placed it on his shoulder, using it to stabilise her as she stood her toes and placed her lips gently on the bruise. "I'm sorry I can't heal it for you."

"Oh Katara. I'm sorry too. You're in far worse shape than I am." He resisted the urge to whisk her away, to lay her down and kiss every blemish embellished on her from last night's ordeal. He barely resisted the urge to kiss her lips, though every fibre in his being begged him to. He thought it was to do with their situation – it was hard to let themselves feel this way, with the knowledge that nothing would stay the same after the comet. The more he thought about it, the more he wanted to be bold, to do what felt right. Sadly, the kitchen, with the looming presence of her brother and Suki, did not feel like the right place to kiss her, for the first time.

Right?

"I'm okay. It's honestly not as bad as it looks." She parroted, a coy smile flashing over her face. He chuckled, and was overcome with adoration for the woman in front of him. He'd never imagined he'd ever feel like this. Warm. Content. Even with the raging chaos outside their door, he felt like he'd found his place in the universe.

Right time and right place be damned.

He cupped her chin and placed a gentle, short kiss on her lips. His heart hammered as he pulled away, and he knew she could feel it as she leant into him again.

"I'll never let anyone hurt you again." He whispered. "I promise. On my honour."

She muttered something along the lines of "jerks and their honour", whilst smiling against his chest. She wanted more than anything to tell him the same, to stay in his embrace all day, to taste his lips again. But, she knew there was work to be done – mouths to feed, bending to work on, and plans to make. Katara couldn't put it in to words, but without trying, he knew what she wanted to say. He knew that, if push came to shove, she would do anything to protect him too.

She stepped back, grabbing his hands and squeezing them as she left his arms.

They got to work on breakfast, but not before Katara leant up and placed a delicate kiss on his lips, hoping that the words left unsaid were loud enough for him to understand.

/

 **Authors Note: So, it's been a while - sorry! Thank you anyone and everyone who has read this story, kept up to date, or just found it. I re-found my passion for writing last May/June (2017), but work a full time shift work type job, so am quite often just too tired or unmotivated to write. Recently however, the next few chapters just came to me. Poof! Plus, it was my 2018 resolution to finish what I started, so here we are :)**

 **On that note, here we are with the fluff! I find it interesting that as I'm re-reading this chapter as a stand-alone, I feel like the ~fluff~ is rushed or forced... but it's been 16 chapters of actively trying to get to this point damn it, I think I've paced it enough! Let me know what you think?**

 **As always, reviews are warmly welcomed :)**


	17. Mountain Walks

**Chapter Seventeen:**

Somehow, even though it was sweltering, they always found themselves around the campfire. It wasn't lit – Agni, it was too hot for that – but out of ingrained habit, the couple had bought out the breakfast foods to the campfire out the front of the royal holiday home. Sokka and Suki joined soon after, Suki still rubbing the sleep from her eyes. It looked like it was a big night for her, and judging by her sleep-in, Katara guessed that she had ended up drinking her share of fire-whisky too. She offered her friend a cup of bracing tea, which she accepted with much appreciation. Suki's head felt like it was splitting in two. She envied how well Sokka seemed to be handling his hangover, and was astonished when he was the one to wake her up. She incorrectly assumed she'd be the first up – her boyfriend slept in even on the best of nights, after all.

Zuko served rice as Katara split up the omelette she had prepared, and she could practically _hear_ Sokka salivating as he watched her with hungry eyes. Suki told Sokka to wipe the drool from his chin, and then absentmindedly wiped her own. Apparently, fire-whisky bred quite the appetite.

Katara handed two bowls to the ever grateful, hungover duo, who sat naturally close to one another. She handed out Zuko's bowl, then hesitated before sitting right next to him, their shoulders brushing as she told everyone to dig in. Suki raised an eyebrow at the couple across from them and looked at Sokka, who subtly shrugged as he shovelled food into his mouth. So, he obviously knew then. Even a hungry, distracted Sokka would have noticed the changed interaction across from them. This was good – but Suki was so confused as to what she had missed this morning. Shrugging herself, wordlessly began to eat.

Always the first to finish, Sokka exhaled loudly, patting his stomach in appreciation. He took another sip of his tea, and cleared his throat.

"So, as you – "

"Sokka, we haven't even finished breakfast." Katara rebutted, exasperatedly indicating to her own food.

"I know, but we need to talk about this as a group." He apologised. "I have a few things I feel I need to say, and then when you're all done we can open the conversation up."

Katara looked at Zuko, who made a non-committal noise, and to Suki, who simply shrugged.

"Fine, off you go." She breathed.

"Right. So, as you know, it's now been two weeks since Aang and Toph left. Katara and I were talking this morning, and we're of two minds about this – she feels this is a good thing, indicating they are working on something to fix this… mess. I feel that it's getting too close for comfort, and feel that if something could have been done, it would have by now. In any case, the fact is that we have a week left until Sozin's comet comes by – one week until Ozai plans to utilise it to destroy the Earth Kingdom for good. So, we need to figure out our plan of action." He cleared his throat, and picked up a stick from the ground beside him.

"We need to have two running plans – if the bending stays as it is, or returns to normal." He drew two columns in the dirt, labelling one "swap" and one "normal."

"Then, we need to factor in if Aang returns here first or not, for both plans. If he returns and there's still this swap, then we'll need to rely on what bending you guys can utilise, and our hand-to-hand skills to get to Ozai. In this case, we can attack at any time, because the comet is suddenly not the threat.

Next, if bending returns to normal and Aang returns, we need to get to go as a team to the imperial city before the comet. Given how our training schedules have changed, I'm prone to propose that we don't wait until the day before the comet – we go as soon as Aang and Toph come back."

"Makes sense." Zuko said, his bowl of food long forgotten. He enjoyed this open discourse much more than any war meeting he'd been to in the palace – there, it was one plan – no discussion.

"So, basically, if Aang comes back, we leave sooner rather than later." Suki summarised. Sokka gave her a thumbs-up, and drew another line in the dirt.

"Right. So, now, if he doesn't come back… well, I guess it doesn't change anything. We still meet at the outskirts, as we had planned, on the day before. I'm sorry guys, but I don't see how going earlier is going to be advantageous without Aang."

"No, no, that's fine – I'm confident we could take Azula, bending or not, but if Ozai is there too, then we're screwed." Katara admitted. "Didn't you say the rumour was that Ozai was taking all the imperial guards to his mass burning of the Earth Kingdom?"

"I doubt it'd be all of them." Zuko objected. "He's not a total fool, he'd leave some at the palace. If we stay as we are, then we'd have a much better chance than if the bending returns to normal – but either way, I'm sure we could take whatever is thrown at us. I'll be a lot stronger, for one, and they aren't adept at fighting any waterbenders, let alone a master."

"I hate to be the bearer of a bad thought, but… say we get to the outskirts. What if Aang doesn't show?" Suki asked, and her words bought on a heaviness in the air that no one wanted to address.

"If he doesn't show, then it's for a reason. He's not the same child he was a year ago – or a hundred years ago. We need to give him credit. If he doesn't show, we still try to take the palace, to overthrow Ozai. We still try to stop the fire raid." Katara wasn't happy with the topic, but she knew that it was on everyone's minds. Aang had a habit of disappearing right when needed – but she had faith in him.

"Right." Sokka said, eyeing off his scribbled table, weighing their options.

"So, for now, we train." Zuko summarised. "We have five days here at most." He felt his heart drop to his stomach as he said it out loud.

"Are we going to change much in five days?" she didn't mean to doubt, but Katara had to ask.

"I propose we do our damndest, because anything is better than nothing." It was Suki who responded first. "The Warriors and I always trained, and though we may not have seen it always, each day meant we became stronger. Subtle improvements will, in time, accumulate, I promise"

"I need a walk." Sokka proclaimed. "… but this was good. Thanks guys. Suki?"

"Coming."

Suddenly, they were alone again. The electricity in the air was clear, but there was also a sort of domestic ease present. They went about their business, but instead of cautiously dancing around one another, they treated themselves to the small moments where their hands brushed, or where their shoulders touched.

/

Once he returned, Sokka insisted, in his own big brother way, that the four of them spend the day working on their hand-to-hand combat skills. He prefaced it knowing full well that it wouldn't have helped them much last night, however he still thought it would be a clever idea. No one disagreed, and they spent much of the day working on sets and partnering up in various combinations to promote learning. Katara most thoroughly enjoyed working with Suki, as it was the young Kyoshi Warrior who was able to teach her the most about using her size to her advantage. She was focusing on weapon-less combat, and was hoping to learn to block chi-blockers more than anything. The memory of Ty Lee's precise blows haunted her memory.

The physical focus of the day helped keep Katara's mind off the night before, and stopped it wandering to the blossoming changes between her and Zuko. They hadn't talked about it aloud, but she felt they had a good understanding of one another – there was something there, now wasn't the right time to explore it, but it may be the _only_ time. They both seemed to just want to be rid of the awkwardness and be open about what they were feeling, and she hoped for the day when they could vocalise their emotions without fear of their circumstances tearing them apart.

It was so delicate, their situation. She felt a bubble of anxiety in her gut, when she wondered if it was okay to be having these feelings. Little did she know, Zuko fought the same battles in his own mind, and he too longed for the day that it was okay to say she was on his mind often – more often than she was not.

They were both thankful for the focused morning of sparring.

Alas, everyone had only so much energy in themselves, and eventually the team broke up for the afternoon. Sokka and Suki crawled away, proclaiming they needed to nap, and Katara and Zuko pretended not to hear Sokka dry retching as he left the arena. Zuko laughed to himself – he knew the after effects of too many fire-whiskeys first hand, and he pitied the guy. It wasn't fair that he couldn't lounge luxuriously, sleeping off the hangover. It wasn't fair that they had to spend their youth training to fight in a war they were born into, but did not choose to take part of.

"Either he's a lightweight, or they spent far too much gold last night." Katara laughed, shaking her head.

"Probably both." Zuko shrugged. "He'd only had one when you joined us, believe it or not. I guess they both went out for more after we'd separated." He wiped his brow, wondering how on earth he'd ever been used to the muggy conditions of his homeland. "Ugh, I need a bath." He scrunched up his nose, and flushed as Katara giggled at him.

"You and me both." She indicated to her own brow sweat, and groaned about wishing she was a waterbender again. "What are you planning to do with the rest of the day?" her question was cautious, loaded with hope.

"Whatever you want." He replied with a smile. Butterflies went insane in her gut, and she beamed back at him.

"I want you to show me more of the island. I want to climb up a mountain, and honestly, I want to scream at the top of my lungs how messed up this all is." Katara hadn't planned on being so honest, but the words escaped her lips before her mind could catch up. "We can't even enjoy a night out without being attacked, or a day in the sun without training. The life we live… the struggles we face, I know it's not fair, but I'm grateful it's on no one else's shoulders. I just want it to be over."

"It will be, soon."

/

Freshened from a rinse off, the duo went to alert Sokka and Suki of their plans, only to find them sprawled out on the floor of Azula's old room. Katara placed her face in her palm, not wanting to try fill in the gaps of why they didn't make the bed. She'd rather not know. Instead of waking them, they left a note, and soon they were on a trail heading up a nearby mountain.

Surprisingly, despite their awkwardness at times, their conversation flowed easily. Not too far into the journey, Zuko grabbed Katara's hand, and he smiled when she squeezed his back. Feeling torn between being bold and bashful, he took her hand and kissed it as they walked, and couldn't help but beam at the flush on her cheeks. She squeezed his hand again, and continued their conversation.

"So, the Blue Spirit huh?" She asked. "When were you planning on telling me about that?"

"Honestly, I thought you knew. After Aang figured out who I was, I thought he'd race back and tell you guys."

"And the mask? From the play?"

"It was one of the only possessions of my mother's I was allowed to keep." A lump rose in his throat, but he swallowed hard. "She loved that play – I vaguely recall her telling me she was in it. I always felt invincible, completely not myself, with it on. Like I was a little more like her, somehow."

"So, when did you don it, as a persona?"

"Hm…" he reflected, not actually recalling the day he decided that he was going to become the spirit. "I don't know. I remember being so angry – like, always – but mostly because it seemed like you guys were always on the brink of being captured by someone else. Believe it or not, I didn't care about you guys getting caught as much as I cared that it _had_ to be _me._ I don't think I'd actually thought through what I'd do if and when I had you – I had one cell on my ship, and even then, I never actually envisioned the Avatar in it. I guess I'd hoped… it'd be as simple as getting him in a net, and then bam, my father knew."

"Ah, so you _have_ always been this soft." She goaded, and he elbowed her playfully, not once letting go of her hand.

"What about you, _Painted Lady?_ "

"Ah yes. People needed me." Shrugging casually, she sighed. "Thankfully I could help them."

"Why not do it as yourself though? I had a reason to hide."

"We were incognito. And there were Fire Nation soldiers about. You look me in the eyes and tell me that a waterbender cleaning swamps and healing the sick wouldn't raise red flags. A really pissed off hot-headed exiled prince might have found us."

He elbowed her again.

There was a comfortable silence between them, and Katara felt her heart hammer away in her chest like a hummingbird for the millionth time. It felt weird for her, to be holding his hand in such a whimsical, casual way. But she didn't mind it. She wasn't sure exactly when she decided to accept what she'd been hiding from herself, but she was stoked to see he felt similarly about her. Try as she might, she couldn't find the words to bring up this silent change in their friendship. How do you articulate "I used to dislike you immensely you and now all I can think about is those two kisses" and "we're in the middle of a war but all I can focus on is what this could be"?

He thought about breaking the silence, about asking questions, but conversation had never come easily to Zuko. He had always been actively discouraged to make friends, as friends could always hurt you. Especially if you sat on the throne – or so he was told. Instead, he spent his life listening, learning, watching, planning. As with conversation, affection was not something that easily came to the young prince either. Not once had he seen an affectionate moment between his parents, and although he had dated Mai, he hadn't ever felt truly _that_ way about her. He never felt desperate for her touch, or lingered on the memory of her lips. He liked her, but upon reflection, he'd concluded that he liked that she liked him. She was the first person, since his mother and uncle, to make him feel wanted.

Now he had Sokka, Aang, Toph, Katara, and the gang of misfits they had met along their journey. Despite this, it was only Katara's opinion of him that seemed to matter. Maybe it was because she was the first person he'd spoke to about his mother since he was a child. Maybe it was because he saw the same passion in her bending as he'd felt about his own, the same drive behind her journey as his. Maybe it was because she was the first person to ever question him. No matter the reason, now he had her, too – in a sense.

Agni, he hoped she felt the same. Despite his brass nature at times, Zuko was an insecure teenager at heart, and he couldn't help but get lost in his own state of anxiolytic overthinking. He had kissed her, and she didn't back away. This was good. She then kissed him. This was especially good. She had sat next to him, wanted to spend the day with him, and was now casually holding his hand as if only six months ago they weren't sworn enemies. The facts were plain, but he had a twisted voice in his inner monologue, which sounded much like Azula's, questioning him. Maybe she kissed him because she pitied him. Maybe she spent the day with him because she didn't have Aang. Maybe she was too scared to let go of his hand, afraid of him. It was enough to make him nauseated. But, every now and again, he'd catch her looking up at him, her ocean blue eyes flushed with what could only be a version of adoration. She'd turn away quickly, but he recognised the flush of her face, and knew that her gaze was not one of fear, or pity, or obligation.

He just hoped that this was one thing the universe was not going to take from him.

/

 **A/N: I just love writing these two together, acting like real human beings 3**


	18. Kaleidoscope

**Chapter Eighteen:**

Their walk up the mountain was cruisy, tropical trees folded overhead like umbrellas, saving them from the scorching heat. Sunlight danced through the leaves like droplets, and like the breeze that cooled them, their conversation was light and gentle. They spoke of Uncle Iroh, and how his teashop would be in shambles without him, along with half a dozen other topics.

Once up the top, Katara let go of Zuko's hand, and raced to the edge of the cliff ahead. She looked back at him, her eyes wide and mouth agape, asking him if he'd ever _seen_ a view like this. He smirked and shook his head at her, taking it all in while she stood in awe of the scenery before her.

She could see the dancing waves as they crashed against the sand and rock of the shore, the winding paths between pockets of villages, and the main centre of business where they had spent many a day. The greenery of the luscious tropical forests stood in strong contrasts to the almost white sand, which in turn made the blue of the ocean all the more crystal like.

"Is this the part where you start screaming?" Zuko enquired, sitting against the bark of a tree trunk. She rolled her eyes at him, and crossed her arms along her chest.

"I want to." She admitted, her mood slightly more solemn. "I want to cry sometimes, ask Tui and La 'why me?'. We're all kids, Zuko. Kids in a war that was started by the fathers of our fathers."

"The father of my father, you mean."

"I don't believe any war is started by a single person. No matter – we're still fighting a war that was never ours to begin with. Look at us, our group – the four nations living in harmony together. On a bison. In basically ever nation. I just wish…" Sighing, she hugged herself a little tighter. "I just sometimes wish it wasn't up to us to stop it. That the grown ups were the ones to settle it. I wish it was easy."

She sat down next to Zuko, and without thinking, he placed his arm around her shoulders. He said nothing, but she knew it wasn't due to disinterest. Her head nestled on his shoulder, she continued.

"I wish… I mean, this. Us. I wish this was easy."

"If I'm honest, it feels like the easiest thing I've ever done." He admitted.

"I… I know… But it's not fair that we've got to… I don't know." Her frustration was apparent, and she struggled to find the words. "Why can't we just figure this out normally? Have awkward dates, spend our time together enjoying every second, without wondering if we should be sparring, training, or planning for this war?"

"I could make this awkward, if it made you feel better?" Zuko offered, hoping to make her laugh. She let out a giggle, and pinched the bridge of her nose – a trait she had copied from him.

"I bet you could. Tying a girl to a tree really makes it all awkward." She elbowed him, revenge for the two jabs he'd had at her on their journey up. He muttered a small 'hey!', but pulled her in closer.

"I know it's inevitable that we'll need to talk about this, Katara. I'm happy to if you are, but I just want you to know that, on the topic of wishes, I really wish we had more than five days to enjoy before… well. You know."

"What's there to say Zuko?" She was blushing, and for the first time in forever she felt like a teenage girl again.

He leant down and kissed her, his hand gently cupping the side of her face with care and affection. He was gentle, though a lot more confident than the first time he had kissed her. She returned the kiss, and he could have sworn he had heard her sigh. Breaking apart, he tried to ignore the surge of electricity pulsating though his body.

"I just want to say that I care about you, Katara. I care about you a lot. I don't think I've ever felt this before – I know I haven't." He took her hand and placed it on his chest. "There is so much unknown surrounding us, but all I know is that I want to be here, with you. And Agni, this is so new to me."

She felt his heartbeat below her palm – strong and regular. She couldn't meet his gaze for fear of wanting to cry, not from sadness, but from both happiness and relief.

"This is new to me too. I… I never thought… well…" She took a deep breath, and formulated her thoughts. "I once feared you, the formidable, faceless enemy. Then, when I met you, I realised you were just a boy, and I just a girl. I pitied you, after Ba Sing Se, but more than that, I was so mad at you. I felt you'd broken an unspoken promise, and it took me a long time to understand what you did. But, you're you and you're stubborn, and once I saw how genuine you were… I couldn't help but… admire you."

"That's a lot of emotions to feel about little old me."

"It gets worse." She giggled. "I admired you, your strength, your growth, your determination. And at some point, that admiration went from a comradery to an affection that I tried to ignore for _so_ long. After the swap, after all that time we spent together, I couldn't help it anymore."

"And here we are." He gestured.

"And here we are."

Another comfortable silence followed, as they sat in one another's company, his arm securely around her. She took his other hand into hers, and ran her fingers along his palm. He hoped she didn't feel him shiver.

"This battle could end in so many ways." She finally broke the silence, her voice much less playful, now dripping with melancholy. "But I'm glad that, no matter what, it won't end without you knowing how I feel."

"Katara…" he turned his head and kissed her hair. She looked up at him and placed her hand along his scarred cheek, and felt him stiffen at her touch. Not discouraged, she gently tugged at his neck until his lips were against hers, and he felt like was on fire.

"When this is all over," he started, feeling breathless. "I promise to give you the awkward dates you long for, and that we will figure this all out."

"You're an idiot." He was thankful to hear her laughter, and closed his eyes as he committed every note to memory. Should he die on the battlefield, he wanted this to be the last thing he was able to remember.

/

"The thing with being smaller than your opponent is that you can be even _smaller_ than your opponent."

"What on earth are you trying to say? You make zero sense."

"Take me, right now, standing before you. If I hit you from elbow height, I would still have to curve up slightly to get your face. If you duck, or get closer to the ground whilst dodging my fist, I'll have a massive opening that you can exploit."

Try as they might have to enjoy the serenity atop their mountain, soon enough they both felt fidgety, a restlessness fuelled by their anxiety of the deadline that loomed overhead. Katara wanted to work on her hand-to-hand combat more, and after telling Zuko what she felt she needed to know, he was more than happy to teach her.

"How do you know all of this?"

"I was a child once, and child sized like you." He goaded, picking up his stance once again.

"Oh, you'll pay." She placed her arms up, lowering her centre of gravity as he had so poorly described. He swung at her, exaggerating his movements, and she struck at his exploited opening. She jabbed at his ribs, and he fell back dramatically, exhaling loudly as he hit the ground. She rolled her eyes at him, and scoffed.

"How am I supposed to learn if you don't take this seriously?"

"Well, excuse me princess, I didn't want to hurt you."

"I know that, but I just can't fight you if you're not giving it your all."

"Never stopped you before." She arched an eyebrow at him, and he rolled his eyes. "You look me in the eyes and tell me honestly that you think I have properly fought you since Ba Sing Se." The seriousness of his tone was not lost on her, and she crossed her arms in contemplation.

"Even so…" she rolled her eyes at him, and shrugged. "Oh, come on, you look ridiculous on the ground." Changing the subject, she held her hand out, and he took it. Hoisting himself up, Zuko dusted off his legs, his eyes never leaving Katara's.

"I miss bending with you." He admitted, not knowing what overcame him to make such a confession. A small ball of fire formed in her palm, and she once again cocked her eyebrow at him. He shook his head, flinging his own perspiration at her embers, sizzling them out. She showed mock hurt on her face, but he could tell she was smiling underneath it all. "No, I mean our elements. Not that I don't like seeing you as a firebender – truly, I do! But, it's not us. I guarantee you still look at bodies of water and ache to feel it in your bones."

He had her pegged there.

Taking a deep breath, she replied.

"As absolutely proud of you I am for how much you've progressed… I know what you mean."

Sitting back down in their previous spot below the trees, the couple settled into a comfortable silence, knowing that their training attempts were unlikely to be useful today, despite Suki's suggestions. It was incredible how they needn't say aloud the thoughts they had to agree. Both the young masters craved their native elements, but were not brave enough to voice these thoughts aloud. He was right – every night, Katara would see the moon as it began to wax, and prayed that she would hear Yue's call from the ocean. Similarly, Zuko would meditate when he awoke, hoping that as the sun rose, his firebending would rise with it.

Alas, their days were spent with him perfecting water drills, and her learning how to control her flames.

The mountain breeze danced along their skin, it's whispers flowing through their hair. Once again, Zuko wrapped his arm around Katara's shoulders, and for a moment he let his imagination go from its tight box in his mind. He'd learnt as a child to not let his thoughts wander into territories of what if's and possibilities.

But, for a moment, he let himself imagine the two of them sitting in this same spot, their elements restored.

He let his mind wander to images of her face – her gleeful, beautiful face – shining under the moonlight of his mother's pond as she bent the water intricately in an intoxicating dance. He thought about having his arms around her like this in the public eye, not worried about scorn or opinion. He envisioned kissing her, holding her, after the war. She was here now, nestled into his shoulder, her own thoughts already a million miles away. He wondered what it would be like to have this without fear of its sudden end.

Absentmindedly, he kissed the top of her head again, and allowed himself to close his eyes. The view of Ember Island from this spot was spectacular, but incomparable to the visions he allowed himself to conjure in his mind's eye – visions of a woman clad in blue, walking with him through walls of gold and red, their hands intertwined, their happiness palpable.

Katara's thoughts had indeed wandered, and as her eyelids grew heavier, she allowed herself to focus on the hopes she had. She saw Zuko, the newly crowned Fire Lord, set fire to the rains at his coronation, his firebending restored and peace spreading like the wildfire he commanded. She could see visions of him, clad in proud gold and red, helping restore her home of ice and blue. She imagined what it would be like to wake up to him, his internal warmth an ever-present comfort.

The last thing she thought of, before she was shown a kaleidoscope of colour in her dreams, was what it would sound like to hear his voice say words that made her stomach tie in knots.

 **A/N: OK, that's two straight chapters of fluff and very little plot progression. It'll balance out soon, but I dearly hope you've enjoyed the fluff.**

 **I've wanted to make this feel as** ** _real_** **as possible, like they were** ** _real_** **teenagers feeling** ** _real_** **things - and I feel that their level of maturity meant they probably wouldn't start screaming "I LOVE YOU" just yet. But there is a seedling there. As you might have guessed...**

 **Until next time!**


	19. Sleep Meditate Repeat

**Chapter Nineteen:**

 **NOTE: continuity error towards the end has now been fixed, thank you _Desy_ for pointing it out! **

"Twinkletoes?" Toph's voice was low, but echoed tenfold through the empty stone walls of the Eastern Air Temple. As her voice carried and bounced between pillars of history, she saw him. He was hovering on an air scooter, attempting to meditate.

The Guru had tried to explain to the young earthbender how it was that she could see, but even now it was still so foreign and left a sour taste on her tongue. Toph's blindness had defined her until her earthbending carved her a new identity, one she was proud of. Once stripped of this, she had fought to regain her sense of self. It wasn't necessarily the fact she was not able to see that weighed down on her – it was the fact she could not be who she fought so hard to become.

When they had arrived at the temple, Toph was coming to terms with the fact she may not be able to "see" until the elements had been restored. The Guru had other plans in mind, and whilst Aang meditated – he meditated a _lot_ these past few weeks – he taught her how to translate the bouncing vibrations above the ground into the ones she once felt below her feet. When Aang was free, he helped too, and after one particular fight which sent Toph into a tantrum and Aang off a cliff with a gust, he helped her learn to control her airbending.

Aang never thought he'd live to see the day he would teach someone airbending again. It stirred up emotions he had locked inside for a long time – emotions he would then work out with the Guru on the quest to unblock his chakras once again.

"Hi, Toph." Aang replied quietly, his voice a mere sigh as he floated back to the ground. The air between them was uncomfortable.

"What's on your mind?" She offered after a time, at a loss for how to properly comfort the young avatar. His face screwed up in pain, a million thoughts racing through his head as he tried to find the words to say.

"So much" was his simple reply. He walked over to her, and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I'm tired." He smiled. Toph didn't need to see to know how insincere it was.

"Guru Pathik said you guys finally figured out how to get our bending back… is it true?" They began to walk, Toph clinging to Aang's arm in a familiar fashion.

"Yes." He sighed, the weight of his answer not lost on Toph. He cleared his throat, and continued. "The last time I was here, Guru Pathik told me he could help me unlock the Avatar State by helping me clear my chakras. It was a tedious time, but we did it… almost."

He shook his head at the memory, and looked down at Toph's milky eyes, which whilst unseeing seemed to be boring right into his soul.

"The final chakra I needed to unblock dealt with some things I was not ready to deal with. I had to let go of all my earthly connections… I had to let go of my feelings for Katara." He tensed, and Toph tightened her grip on his arm. She had suspected this, from overhearing what the Guru had said to overhearing one of Katara's rants, but this was the first time it was confirmed.

She remained silent, allowing him to continue.

"Then, in Ba Sing Se, I did it. I let it go. I had full control of the Avatar State, and I felt at peace… until Azula shot me. After that, the chakra has been blocked, and I have had no connection to the Avatar State. Not the past Avatar's though – just the state in which I am in full control of all the elements. What the Guru suspects is that the world _needs_ me to be in touch with the state, or else it will fall into chaos. Not like I didn't need any more weight on my shoulders." He shrugged, and she punched him lightly in the shoulder.

"Go on." She coaxed, her eyebrows furrowed.

"No Avatar has ever lost this connection before, trust me, I've tried to ask. They suspect that should the Avatar cycle cease, all bending may indeed cease… but since I'm alive, and the connection severed, I can't act as a beacon to keep the energies as they were, so there has been a switch. It's all speculation, but I've travelled to the spirit world so many times recently, and it's the common theory amongst the spirits too."

"So, to get the bending back, you need to unblock your chakras?" Toph enquired.

"It's the best lead we have." He helped her down a ledge, and made their way back to camp. Appa sat proudly on a cliff, feeling at home with his new surroundings. Momo was asleep on his head, not that Appa seemed to mind.

"You've done it once." Toph cautioned, accepting a bowl of banana onion juice and taking a swig. It was awful, but it was food. "Can you do it again?"

Aang sighed. "I have to."

"But?"

"But… it's hard. And since my chakra was blocked, it's even harder to get into that state to even try." He sorrowfully looked out across the clouds, his fatigue catching up to him. "We need to go back, soon. I'll have one last session with Guru Pathik, but then… it's time."

His thoughts wandered back to that very first day they had arrived.

/

 _"You have come to me at a dire time, young Avatar." The Guru's grainy voice echoed through the halls, and Ang wondered if it was the roaring of his bison that gave their identities away. The guru sat in a meditative pose, his back turned to them, his hands resting on his knees. Aang bowed regardless, a weight of worry disappearing from his shoulders. They had worried the whole journey that the guru may not be at the temple anymore, however their fears were for naught. Aang cleared his throat, and felt Toph tug at his arm. He smiled, and squeezed her shoulder._

 _"I'd like you to meet my earthbending teacher, Toph Bei Fong."_

 _"Ah yes, Miss Bei Fong. It is a pleasure to meet you. I have heard many a story about you, young lady." Slowly standing, Guru Pathik turned around and shared a toothy grin at the young pair._

 _"You've lost me already pops." She sighed, wishing she could see his face, or at least feel his heartbeat. The whole journey over was nauseating for Toph, and although she had passed much of the time napping, exhaustion laced her words. Her lethargy also left little room for riddles or rhymes, though Aang had taken the time to explicitly warn her of the guru's affection for such things._

 _"The spirit world is not limited by the physical realm young master. It does not take long for word to travel, and my does word travel fast these days. I am indeed sorry you cannot see me, but do trust me when I say I am very happy to see you."_

 _The silence in the air was awkward, and Toph wondered if they had found the right man. He sounded crazy._

 _"I suppose you know why we are here then." She started, hoping to bypass the rest of this awkwardness and get to the nitty gritty. They had a mission and a time constraint, after all._

 _"I suppose I do." The guru mused, and Toph could feel the heat rising in her face. She hated being chastised. She hated it even_ more _when she couldn't see who it was, when she couldn't fight back. Before she could open her mouth to reply, he held up a bony finger to her – and though she could not see him, she suddenly felt the need to bite her tongue._

 _"I suppose you are here to find answers, but I cannot presume to know them all. I may have some answers, young masters, but I do not know if they are the ones you seek. The spirits have spoken to me non-stop about the chaos in the world right now, so I could only but assume I would run into Avatar Aang at some point, either in this world or the spirit world on his quest for answers. I know what has become of the common elements. That being said," he took a deep breath in, and while he held his breath, it felt like time stood still. As he exhaled, both Toph and Aang felt a violent shiver travel down their spines. "I do not know what good I can do now, as you have already trained with me once."_

 _"I am sorry, Guru Pathik." Aang's voice involuntarily cracked, and he tried to ignore the taste of bile building up in the back of his throat. "I was stubborn, and too attached. I know that now, and I learnt the hard way that I can't leave things up to chance anymore._

 _I'm not sure what you heard exactly, but I did unblock my chakra, right when we needed it to be unblocked… but then I was shot by lightening, and if it wasn't for Katara, I'd be dead. I think the lightening blocked my chakra again, even though…" he faltered, and the guru once again flashed a cryptic smirk at him._

 _"I know not exactly what needs to be done, but I know how to take the first steps. Come, young masters. Let us walk."_

 _/_

Sleep.

Meditate.

Fire bending sets.

Earth bending sets.

Meditate.

Water bending sets.

Meditate.

Sleep.

Toph did her best to stay by his side at all times, not wanting to be left alone in her own darkness. She missed Katara. She missed Sokka. She even missed Zuko. But most of all, she missed who she was. The rock solid persona she bore had crumbled the minute she realised she was as hopeless as her parents had feared. But instead of doing nothing, she did everything she could to support Aang, knowing he was her only hope in becoming who she knew she could be once more.

 _Meditate._

 _Fire bending sets._

 _Earth bending sets._

 _Meditate._

 _Water bending sets._

 _Meditate._

 _Sleep._

Days blurred and soon time became meaningless to them both. Their tongues burnt from banana onion juice, but they never felt hunger gnaw at their stomachs, and their minds never wandered far.

 _Meditate._

 _Fire bending sets._

 _Earth bending sets._

 _Meditate._

 _Water bending sets._

 _Meditate._

 _Sleep._

Piece by piece, the thread that connected Aang to his past lives was reconnected. He felt them stand behind him even when he was not meditating, and the guru reassured him this was good. He was becoming one with himself – every incarnation of himself.

 _Meditate._

 _Fire bending sets._

 _Earth bending sets._

 _Meditate._

 _Water bending sets._

 _Meditate._

 _Sleep._

There was always something wrong though. Something off. Something, in the whispers of spirits, which told him that the issue had not yet been reversed. The guru could feel his chakras, the steam of chi no longer narrowed or occluded by the ghosts that haunted him – except for one.

Even as he helped Toph re-gain her sight, he could not help but feel guilty for being the reason why it was lost in the first place.

Even as he came to terms with the lost connection between himself and his past lives, he could not shake the guilt of being the only Avatar to lose it in the first place.

He wondered if there was a spirit out there, somewhere, laughing at him as the irony of it all crashed upon him one day. Before, it was his love for a waterbender that held him back. Now, it was the chakra of water which stopped him in his tracks.

The element which had saved him.

 _Meditate._

 _Fire bending sets._

 _Earth bending sets._

 _Meditate._

 _Water bending sets._

 _Meditate._

 _Sleep._

/

When the guru awoke them one morning, urging them to hop on Appa and return to Ember Island, neither Aang nor Toph could muster the energy to argue. Without question, they boarded the bison and bid the guru farewell.

They did not speak much on their return journey, their thoughts plagued with the parting words from Guru Pathik.

 _"The time has come. You will meet exactly who you need to, young Avatar, back on the Isle of Ember. This is not to say your time here was wasted – in fact, if you had not spent as much time here, you would not be in this perfect position. Fly back, young masters. Your friends are waiting. Change is upon you soon, and I know it will be welcomed with open arms._

 _May the spirits smile favourably upon your return."_

 _/_

Sokka's voice reverberated through the halls of the beach house, alerting his comrades instantly.

"We have company!" He yelled, and it took but a second for the young prince, the water master-turned-fire bender, and the Kyoshi warrior to spring into action. Dawn had barely broken across the horizon, the air cool still despite the tepid summer.

As they armed themselves and made it to the balcony, Sokka's cries became less cautious and more emotional.

Once the trio saw Sokka's form, still in his sleeping gear, abandon his precious boomerang and run at full speed towards the makeshift bison den, they let out a collective sigh of relief.

Katara dissolved the fire in her palm. Zuko sheathed his dual blades. Suki shut her fans.

And they ran down to the emerging forms of their friends – back at last.

/

 **Hello, friends! This was such a hard chapter for me to write. I almost didn't want to include any of Toph and Aang's adventures, but at the same time I feel it would be an injustice to not at least give you a glimpse of what they were up to. I had always had an idea of why the bending swapped, and why Aang had to leave to return it all to normal, and I didn't just want it explained in a wall of text at the end.**

 **I also thought it'd be fun to explore Toph being the first blind airbender to see, and it was the Ember Island Players who gave me the idea! So there we go. I teased it back before she and Aang left Ember Island.**

 **Anyway, I hope this chapter didn't suck.**

 **Please consider reviewing. I know everyone asks this, but it honestly is the only way I know I'm not just writing to myself. If that were the case, I may as well keep the rest of the story in my word** **document** **(but where is the fun in that?). I've been reading a lot of fanfic recently, and have really driven myself to review stories now that I truly understand the importance. I implore you to do the same.**

 **It's the 24th of February 2018 now, and as of yesterday I**

 **\- Hit 100 pages on word (size 11 font mind you)**

 **\- Hit 46,000 words**

 **\- Finished chapter 22**

 **So, progress is being made!**

 **Til next time!**


	20. Operation: Melon Lord

**Nobody reviewed the last chapter. I know it's only been 4 days, but I'd had hoped that at least one person would have. It's been read by a few, as per FF's count.**

 **But, we hit 100 "followers", so I'm swallowing my hurt pride and posting again.**

 **I promised myself I would finish this story by the middle of the year (so, by its 1 year anniversary), and even if we stay at 37 views, I will hold to that promise.**

 **That being said, I'd be even happier to do so if you let me know what you think!**

 **/**

Despite the time spent apart, it did not take long for Aang and Toph to update the rest of the gang on their journey to see the guru. They hadn't even moved from Appa's stable, instead opting to sit around in a circle to his side, Sokka and Katara leaning up against Appa's leg while the others settled on the floor. Toph's first request upon landing was to have something to eat, and Katara happily supplied fruit and eggs for breakfast. Zuko poured them tea, and the six young warriors caught one another up to speed.

"So, did you… you know…" Sokka began, voicing the question hovering on everyone's lips. Toph shook her head solemnly, answering the question before Aang could utter a syllable.

"Guru Banana Onion said the key to it all is here. On this island." She postulated, waving her arms in emphasis.

"Guru… Banana Onion?" Zuko snorted, earning a punch in the shoulder from Toph.

"You try eating nothing but Banana Onion juice for what seems like for _ever_ and come up with a better name Sparky." She shrugged, and Aang laughed.

"Yeah, he has the worst diet." Clearing his throat, his expression fell once again. "I meditated, for _hours_ , every day. I did my sets. I spent so much time connecting with my past lives I almost forgot who I was myself. I did _everything_. Yet, after everything… I was told to come back."

"Well, that means your time at the air temple was up. I haven't been with you guys the whole time, but I know that you're always where you need to be, Aang." Suki offered, and Aang thanked her with a smile.

"So, what next?" Katara asked, sipping at her tea. "We had it planned that, should you return and the swap still stands, we would leave as soon as possible and utilise what bending we _do_ have, and some hand-to-hand combat, to attack Ozai."

Aang and Sokka spoke at once.

"I don't really – "

"I had an idea –"

Aang took a deep breath.

"You first, Sokka."

"Ok. I had an idea. We still have three days, right? Getting to the Caldera will only take a few hours, and our cover is as good as it's going to be here on Ember Island. Now we have the group back together, I say we have one last good training session, as a group. I even have a name for it." He grinned, holding a piece of discarded watermelon skin to his face, the elliptical shape forming an ominous smile.

/

As dusk fell, _Operation_ : _Melon Lord_ began.

"In order to take out the fire lord – or, in this case, the melon lord – our timing has to be _perfect_. First, Suki and I will distract him, and hopefully any defenders he has – archers, Dai Li etcetera – and draw their attention away.

Next, Zuko and Katara will go forth with some liquidy hot offence, knowing that even without his bending, the Melon Lord will be a force to be reckoned with. Finally, Aang will swoop in and _bang_ , deliver the fatal blow."

Aang visibly swallowed hard at this, but tried to keep his composure.

"We'll also need you, Aang, to bend some soldiers for us to fight, until Zuko and Katara are close enough to help you fight the fire lord."

"OK. I can do that."

"Um, what about me?" Toph asked, dreading the answer.

"If things were normal, I'd have you throw flaming rocks at everyone, to make it feel authentic." Sokka shrugged. "Seeing as this isn't an option for now, I want you to judge what's going on, and tell us where we are failing."

"Sokka, you know I still can't _see_ , right?" Toph harrumphed, crossing her arms and blowing her bangs from her face. She didn't see the smirk that crossed his lips.

"That's not how I hear it. In fact, I _want_ to hear it. You told us you can see when you scream, right? Well, the Melon Lord isn't going to go down quietly, now is he?"

Toph's maniacal grin was enough to strike fear into every warrior around her.

"Sweetness."

/

Toph stood before the statue of the Melon Lord, and felt true glee as she screamed _I AM MELON LORD_ repeatedly.

"Toph, surely you could just make a _noise,_ right?" Sokka whined.

"I am not Toph! I am MELON LORD… and I can see that you nearly got your head chopped off from a rock soldier. You aren't as light on your feet as Suki. Be forceful. I AM MELON LORD!"

Suddenly, a ring of soldiers surrounded Katara and Zuko. Popping the tops of his water canteens of, Zuko drew two whips into his hands and flayed them at the earth made opponents. Katara circled around him, and sent two fire punches forth, effectively incapacitating their enemy. They ran in unison towards Toph and a hastily made Melon Lord figure, and simultaneously sent a fireball and water whip at him.

"Oh no! I, the Melon Lord, am caught up!" Toph yelled, hearing how close the duo were to her.

"Now Aang!" Sokka screamed, and all the rock soldiers disappeared.

Aang emerged from behind the Melon Lord's podium, his staff in hand, gliding effortlessly at a high speed towards the figure. Swinging down, he faltered at the last second, guilt heavy in his stomach.

"What is wrong with you! Do it!" Sokka screamed, racing up the podium.

"I can't." Aang sighed dejectedly.

"You have to! If this was real, you'd be full of lightning right now! You barely know how to deflect it!" Zuko yelled, his temper rising to meet Sokka's.

"I'm sorry! It just didn't feel right! I didn't feel like myself."

Aang was cut off by the swinging of Sokka's sword, sloshing through the watermelon head before him.

"That is how it is done."

/

During dinner, Aang expressed his problem with taking Ozai's life. He voiced that, in his training with the Guru, he was taught over and over to be true to himself and his cultural ways, to be in touch with himself and to stop fighting against what was in his nature. The group fought back, openly expressing that it was what was _needed_ to be done.

"I know Fire Lord Ozai is a horrible person, but maybe there is another way!"

After a horrible suggestion involving glue bending, Katara had had enough.

"We are _trying_ to help you Aang."

"Then when you figure out a way to take out the Firelord without taking his life, I'd love to hear it!" He yelled, storming off.

"Don't run away from us Aang!" Katara retorted, marching for him. She could not believe he was acting like such a child. She wanted to follow him, snap some sense into him. They were so close. So close.

A cool hand on her shoulder stopped her in her tracks.

"Let him go." Zuko's calm voice shocked even Katara. Out of everyone, she thought he'd be the most upset. "He needs time to figure it out on his own."

"Are you sure?" She asked, her voice much less agitated.

"Let him go." He repeated. She sighed, and had to resist the urge collapse into him.

"If you say so." She murmured, petting his hand on her shoulder.

Toph made a mental note to tease the two of them later about how much they sounded like a _couple_.

/

Later that night, as he fell asleep meditating, Aang's entranced body left Ember Island once more, leaving behind his staff, his friends, and his promise of never running away again.

/

"OK, that's everything!" Sokka sighed, securing one last pack to Appa's saddle. Foregoing breakfast, the group had begun packing under the watchful eye of schedule master Sokka. So far, everything was going to schedule.

"No, it's not." Toph muttered, clearing her throat. "Where's Aang?"

There was a moment of pure stillness, as no one dared to make a sound.

Then, they ran.

The rooms of the house were empty, and it was Sokka who found Aang's staff. After checking the beach, they noted his footprints, barely washed away from the morning tide.

"Maybe he ran away again." Toph sighed, her hands grazing the sand. If only she could _see_. Then she'd know if he had truly left.

"Nuh-uh. He left his glider! And Appa!" Sokka retorted.

"Then what do _you_ think happened to him, oh sleuthy one?"

"It's pretty obvious. Aang disappears before an important battle? He's clearly on a spirit journey!"

"Then wouldn't his body be here?" Zuko asked ,effectively deflating Sokka in one swift blow.

"Oh… yeah…"

"Let's split up and look for him – he has to still be on the island, right?" Katara asked, and before she could blink, Toph had latched on to Zuko's arm.

"I'm going with Zuko!" She exclaimed with glee. Sensing the questions, she shrugged. "What? Everyone else has gone on a life changing field trip with Zuko. It's my turn!"

/

Toph concluded that it was the worst field trip ever.

/

The entire day disappeared quickly, and Aang was nowhere to be found. Anxiety riddled, Sokka found himself in Appa's mouth, thinking that perhaps Appa had eaten Momo, and maybe even Aang. Panic truly clouded judgement.

"Appa didn't eat Momo." Katara sighed. She didn't have the energy to properly reprimand her brother. She knew he was terrified, beneath his goofy exterior.

"Get out of the bison's mouth, Sokka." Zuko sighed in turn, and once again Toph made a mental note to tease them about essentially becoming mum and _dad_ to the group. The gravity of the situation hit them again, and the five remaining members of the gang were at a loss.

"What do we do, Zuko?" Katara asked. Zuko stood up, and waited, not paying attention to the fact that she posed her question at him. He stared down at Sokka, who was still covered in Appa's saliva. He looked at the girls before him, and to his surprise they were all looking at him – not Sokka.

"Wait, why are you all looking at me?" He asked, realising all eyes were on him expectantly. He looked at Katara, and could tell the look in her eyes was one of apology.

"You… are kind of the expert on tracking Aang." Katara said softly.

Oh.

/

 **Until next time!**


	21. The Order

Deviating their course slightly, Zuko flew Appa in the direction of the Earth Kingdom, the irony of this situation not lost on him.

Here he was, tracking the Avatar once more… with his friends. On Aang's bison.

If only Uncle could see him now.

/

They landed in a small, remote village of the Earth Kingdom, and Zuko had them head straight to a tavern.

He pointed out the woman he wanted to see, and the pieces fell into place quickly for the rest of the group as they watched her hold her own in a fight, whilst holding a steaming cup of tea.

"I don't know who this woman is, but I like her already." Toph smirked, not needing to see the action to know what was happening – the whimpering of the men around her were enough to earn that woman Toph's respect.

"The shirshu is the only animal that can track Aang, anywhere in the world." Zuko sighed, hoping this last ditch approach to finding Ang would not be in vain.

"Hang on, I remember her now! She helped you attack us!" Sokka growled.

"Yep! Back in the good old days…" Zuko teased. Suki stifled a giggle. She was grateful she hadn't been subjected to the 'good old days', but she liked the banter.

Kicking back in her chair, Jun rolled her eyes.

"Oh great, it's prince pouty. I see you worked things out with your girlfriend." Both Katara and Zuko felt their hearts leap into their throats, and they spluttered quickly a denial.

Toph mentally made a note to _definitely_ talk about this later

"So what do you want?"

After gracefully convincing Jun to help them, they were soon shot down with the revelation that Nyla could not help them.

"What does that mean?" Zuko asked.

"Means he's gone." Jun shrugged.

"We _know_ he's gone – that's why we're trying to _find_ him? Sheesh lady." Toph bit back, frustrated. Jun sighed.

"No, I mean he's _gone_ gone. He doesn't exist. If he had a body on earth, even just a body _part_ , she'd find him. Got a plan B?"

"There's only one another person in this world who can help us face the fatherlord. I'll be right back."

/

A smelly sandal later, and the gang found themselves rapidly heading to the edge of Ba Sing Se.

"Of _course_ Uncle would be in Ba Sing Se." Zuko sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. He sat at Appa's reins, and felt slightly uneasy by what might be waiting for them on land. "I think it devastated him when we left."

"You think we should go to his tea shop?" Katara offered, her voice trailing off in the wind. Zuko's shrug indicated that he had indeed heard her, but she could also see him tense. She wished she could stop the world and talk to him, but every second had to count now.

"I wish I could see again. I could just go _bam,_ and tell you where to find him." Toph muttered, and Katara squeezed at her shoulders.

"Wherever he is, I'm sure Aang's only gone because he's working on the bending swap." She didn't even sound convincing to herself, but Katara's words seemed to placate the frustrated earthbender.

"Hey! I think the lady's waving us down." Suki pointed down to Jun, her Shirsu almost as fast as Appa. With a swift tug at the reins, Zuko took them down. As they landed, Nyla was scratching at the outer wall of Ba Sing Se.

"I think you're uncle's beyond the wall. He's close – Nyla's getting twitchy. Good luck." And with that, she was gone.

Worridly, Zuko looked after her. What if she had lied? Had he wasted the groups valuable time?

"It's been a long day. Let's camp and start our search again at dawn." He offered, and he felt Katara's hand on his shoulder, squeezing it reassuringly.

"He'll be here, Zuko. I know it."

/

They didn't speak much that night, and they settled for bed quickly. Toph laid on the cool earth, not wanting Katara to fuss over a bed for her. Suki and Sokka laid cuddled up against one of Appa's paws, and Zuko and Katara laid on another. They sat up, his arm around her shoulders, for a time before sleep took them captive. There weren't words – they both knew how much they had riding on this mission.

Katara was the first to fall asleep, having felt the sun's rays disappear long ago. Zuko rested his head upon hers, and felt like he had _barely_ closed his eyes when he heard Toph's yells.

"Wake up!" Was all she said, but it was all that was needed for the group to spring up and notice the ring of fire surrounding them.

Suki noticed them first.

"There!" She yelled, pointing up to the great wall of Ba Sing Se. There stood several men, cloaked in navy and white. Several… familiar… faces.

"Well! Look who is here!" A snort echoed, and Katara couldn't help but grin.

"What's going on? We're surrounded by old people." Toph snorted.

"Not just any old people! These are friends of ours! Masters! Pakku!" Grinning, Katara ran up to her old master and bowed, electricity flowing through her. She had not expected to see him again – not here, and maybe, not ever. They hadn't a chance to return to the Water Tribes – northern or southern – and had lost contact with the north on their journey. It filled her with great relief to see him safe.

"It is respectful to bow to an old master… but how about a hug for your new grandfather?" He smiled coyly, and Zuko watched as the two siblings clicked on simultaneously.

He, Toph and Suki, however, were left in the dark.

After a short reunion (and a terrible nickname courtesy of Sokka), Katara turned to Zuko apologetically.

"This was Aang's first fire bending teacher, Jeong Jeong." The two firebending masters bowed to one another, and Sokka continued down the line, bowing to Master Piandao.

"Hello, Sokka!"

"So, wait." Suki began. "How do you… all know each other?"

"All old people know each other! Don't you know that?" Bumi grinned.

"We are all a part of the same, ancient, secret organisation, one that transends the divisions of the four nations." Piando's cool voice explained simply.

"The Order of the White Lotus." Zuko smiled.

"I have a better question." Toph interrupted, her voice wavering. All heads snapped towards her, and Katara could see she was shaking. "Why didn't I notice before?" Sokka cocked his head and was about to open his mouth, when the earth from beneath him shifted, having him land squarely on his behind.

"Hey! Not in front of the masters, Toph." He groaned, embarrassed.

There was a beat of silence.

Sharing a panicked look, Katara immediately drew the water from Zuko's sides as he produced a flame in his palm.

"Aang." Katara breathed, too overwhelmed from emotion to think straight. She had a million questions – _how, when, why_ – but she didn't trust herself to speak. Nor did Zuko. Nor did Toph.

Unfazed, the members of the White Lotus shared a glance, and continued to speak.

"About a month ago, we received a call from a Grand Lotus. Your Uncle, Prince Zuko." Pakku cleared his throat, and he did not fail to register the relief on the group's face.

"That's who we're looking for!" Toph exclaimed, beside herself.

"We'll take you to him." Smiled Piandao, before being swiftly interrupted by King Bumi.

"Wait, someone is missing! Someone important." He walked up to Sokka, and shoved his face flush against Sokka's. "Where's Momo?"

There was another beat of silence.

"He's gone. So is Aang." Sokka sighed.

"Oh well, as long as they are together I am sure we have nothing to worry about." Bumi straightened up, and pat Sokka on the shoulder.

"I think something has happened though." Katara voiced, her fingers reaching for her mother's necklace – a source of comfort. "A few weeks ago, as you probably know, everyone's bending got messed up. Aang went to see an old friend – a guru – to try to fix it, but he came back without it being fixed. Then he disappeared without a trace. Now…"

She called for the water again, encasing her hands in a familiar and very welcome sensation.

"We're back, baby!" Toph grinned, yahooing into the night air. She shifted the earth beneath Sokka once more, and once again was met with groans from the young warrior.

"Now everything is as it should be." Pakku offered, shrugging. "We need not fret about things out of our control, Katara."

"The fact that this has happened within a day of Aang's disappearance is telling of his involvement in setting the world right. Have faith, young friends." Piandao smiled, bowing to the group.

"Enough of this chit chat. Let's go!" With a mighty fist movement, Bumi sprung himself onto a column of dirt, flying up and over the wall before them.

"That I _have_ to try."

/

His heart was ever present in his throat, a throbbing reminder of what was at stake.

Zuko knelt before his Uncle's tent, feeling more nervous than he had ever been.

"Are you okay?" Katara asked, kneeling beside him.

"No! I'm not okay." Even Zuko was surprised at how honest he was being. Katara had that influence on him. "He probably hates me now. My uncle has done nothing but love me and support me, yet… I still turned against him. How can I face him?" Katara didn't fail to notice the small crack in his voice, mustering up a smile to comfort him.

"Zuko, you're sorry for what you did, right?" Her question was simple.

"Sorrier than I've ever been." The weight of his words was not lost on either of them. Smiling again, Katara reached over to squeeze his hand.

"Then he will forgive you. I promise. He will."

With a sigh, Zuko stood up, interlacing his fingers with Katara's. She stood too, and she could feel his hesitation.

"Go to him." She whispered, and with one last squeeze she let go of his hand.

Without looking back, Zuko stepped into the tent. He was not sure if it was relief he felt when he heard his Uncle snoring, but he was grateful to see that his Uncle was safe.

Sitting before him, Zuko settled down, ready to wait for as long as it took for his Uncle to awaken.

/

When Iroh finally awoke, he was surprised to see is nephew there, and even more surprised by the tears racing down his face. Hearing his apology, Iroh reached out and pulled his nephew into a tight hug.

"I was never angry at you. I was sad, thinking you'd lost your way." He embraced his nephew, relieved to see the anger his nephew once held so close had dissipated. He knew there was much to talk about, but for now, he was content.

/

"Why do you think our bending has returned, General Iroh?" Katara asked, a bowl of warm rice still in her hands. Sunrise over Ba Sing Se was as glorious as she remembered, but this sunrise was laced with urgency.

The camp of the White Lotus was modest, but lacked very little. She and the group had been able to grasp a few hours sleep, though she knew that it was racked with restlessness and questioning. All Katara wanted to do was jump in a body of water, to realign herself with the element she had lost.

In a way, now that she had her water bending back, she started to miss her fire.

"I believe it indicates that the Avatar's journey has been successful. I know it has been a tough few weeks for you all – many members of the White Lotus felt the emptiness you have felt. However, now you have your bending back, I think it is safe to assume that much is right in the world again."

"It's just… weird. I never thought I'd miss fire bending." Katara shrugged, noticing Iroh's face blanch as he choked on his rice.

"Forgive me, my dear, for my old ears deceive me. I thought you just said you missed _fire_ bending!" He laughed, taking a generous sip of his tea to clear his throat.

"Uncle… your ears are fine. Uh…" Zuko looked around for help, but only saw the incredulous stare of his Uncle, and the averted eyes of his friends. "It wasn't that our bending was _gone_ , per se, but that it… swapped?"

"What Sparky is trying to say is that he could bend water, Katara could bend fire, and I had a stint as an airbender." Toph wasn't one for awkward silences. "I went with Aang to sort it out, but Guru Banana Onion had few answers, so we came back, then Aang disappeared, so we came here."

"I see…" Iroh muttered, taking another sip of tea. "It seems that we have _much_ more to catch up on than I had originally thought, friends. No matter, now is not the time for incredible stories, though I insist I be bought up to date soon. You sought out us for a reason. Pray tell, what do you need?"

"With Aang gone, you are the only one that can help us defeat the father- fire lord. We need you to come with us." Zuko explained.

"No Zuko, it would not end well. The world would see it as more senseless violence – a brother killing a brother, to grab power. The only way this could end peacefully is for the Avatar to defeat the fire lord."

Biting his tongue, Zuko fought the urge to argue, to try to convince his Uncle that he was wrong. Alas, although it had merely been months since he had last seen his Uncle (albeit in a prison cell at the time), Zuko had matured tremendously, and held his tongue.

"And then… would you come back? Take your rightful place on the throne?" He wasn't sure what he was hoping for.

"No. Someone new must take the throne. An idealist, with a pure heart and un _questionable_ honour. It has to be _you_ , Prince Zuko."

"Unquestionable honour? But I've made so many mistakes!"

"Yes, you have." Zuko hung his head in shame. Perhaps his Uncle hadn't forgiven him.

"But you have always followed your own path, and restored your own honour. Only you can restore the honour of the fire nation."

"I… I'll try, Uncle." His voice wavered, and everyone knew just how much weight had been put on Zuko's shoulders – not just for the impending battle, but for the lifetime they were to spend after it.

"OK, so... what happens if Aang doesn't come back? You guys had to have had contingencies for it, right?" Toph voiced, staring blankly at Sokka. Sokka's eyes widened, and was thankful when Iroh continued to speak.

"Sozin's comet is arriving, and our destinies are upon us. Aang _will_ face the Fire Lord. _My_ destiny is to take back Ba Sing Se, so the Earth Kingdom can be free, once again." Iroh smiled, recounting his vision as a youth of Ba Sing Se.

"That's why you gathered the members here." Suki concluded. She liked General Iroh, and though she'd not known them long, she could see parts of Iroh in Zuko now.

"Zuko, you must go back to the Fire Nation, so when Ozai falls, you can resume the throne. However, Azula will be there…"

"I can handle Azula." He snorted, his inner fire flaring up.

"Not alone!" Iroh cut him off, sensing the heat from his nephew. "You are going to need help."

He saw several things in the next few seconds. He saw his brazen nephew bite back words and swallow, considering his options. He saw resignation cross his face, followed by contemplation. Then he saw his eyes flicker up to the waterbender across from him, an unspoken emotion dancing behind his eyes.

"Katara?" That was all Zuko had to say. Katara grinned, nodding.

"It would be my pleasure."

Iroh was more than happy with his nephew's choice, but was also _very_ curious as to how their relationship had gone from the hostility and hatred in the caves of Ba Sing Se, to this almost unspoken alliance. He supposed it was something he'd have to ask later.

"What about us?" Sokka interrupted, feeling almost ashamed for having to ask. He had a plan, and he felt it would work, but now he was sitting in front of the Dragon of the West, he began to doubt himself. "What's our destiny today?"

Iroh smiled.

"What do _you_ think it is?" He asked, smirking over his bowl.

Suki saw the sigh of relief exit her boyfriend's lips, and released a breath she hadn't known shew as holding.

"I think, even though we don't know where Aang is, we need to stop the air fleet."

"And that means that, when Aang does arrive, we'll be right there if he needs us." Toph concluded.

Iroh felt a surge of pride for the group before him, his confidence rising.

/

Boarding Appa, Zuko once again took the reins. They said their farewells to their gang and the Order of the White Lotus, the parting words of General Iroh echoing in their minds as they took off.

 _Today, destiny is our friend_.

/

 **Bulk update, hope you're enjoying. I actually feel quite anxious about finishing this story. I hope I'm doing it justice, and I'm hoping that you're enjoying it. I hope the way I've written in the bending swap has made it fun and interesting, and that whilst the past two chapters are based on existing content, that you've enjoyed the small twists, turns and deviations I've made.**

 **Until next time.**


	22. Agni Kai

**Chapter Twenty Two:**

As soon as they took flight, Katara moved down from her spot in the saddle and sat next to Zuko.

"Are you alright?" She asked, suddenly feeling awkward – something she had not felt with Zuko in what seemed like a lifetime. He continued to stare out before them, the ocean below them merely a blur. She could see his emotions flash across his face, and could only assume his mind was going a million miles per hour.

"I'm worried about Aang." He ended up saying, picking a safe topic out of the dozens flying through his mind. "What if he doesn't have the guts to… end my father?"

Katara nodded, and hugged her knees as she contemplated her answer. She too had thought about it, but was not sure how to bring it up.

"I believe in him. He'll come through – he _has_ to. I think, the next time we see him, Aang won't be the same Aang we saw last. The fact he's returned our bending shows he's on an incredible journey, one I feel ends with this war ending. He has to be there. He has to figure it out."

"You think he'll be able to kill him?" Zuko asked, his question sounding more like a statement.

"I… hope so." She whispered. "I hope he has the strength to do what I couldn't."

"How original, Katara's hope." Zuko suddenly barked, surprising his counterpart. His laugh was dry, tinged with anxiety, but it was a laugh none the less.

"Well, we've got hope and honour, what more do we need?" She teased, trying to smile through the uneasiness. They fell into another silence, and Zuko felt her lean into him.

He couldn't believe it, if he was honest. How on earth did he go from tracking a twelve year old over the globe, to training him. He went from fighting against the boomerang-yielding Water Tribe Warrior, to feeling like Sokka was his first true friend.

And he went from fighting the girl in the blue dress, to sitting next to the woman who was as strong and stubborn as the element she commanded. The girl who once threatened his life, should he step a toe out of line, now proudly stood by him in what was sure to be his toughest fight ever.

Her strength was immeasurable, and he knew – comet or no comet – that he would be the strongest he'd ever been with her by his side. He'd already seen her at her strongest, the night they confronted the man who murdered her mother.

He fidgeted in his seat, the uncomfortable memory washing over him, adding to the anxiety and queasiness he was already experiencing.

"I've been meaning to ask you…" He started, his hand relaxedly grazing the back of his neck. He knew the timing could be better, and he knew it didn't matter anymore, but he had always wanted to ask.

"Mmm?" He could tell she was distracted, her mind a million miles away, running through the possibilities of what could be happening.

"What… what did you do, to the new Captain of the Southern Raiders?"

He could literally feel the chill travel down her spine as it emanating around her. Seeing her fallen face, he quickly retracted.

"You don't have to say anything – I didn't mean to bring it up, it's just that I wanted to ask while I was well you know bending water and I thought maybe if it's something Aang could do then maybe it's something he can use today and – "

"Stop." She sighed, effortlessly ceasing the young prince's ramble. "It's just not something I like to think about."

"I'm sorry, you don't – "

"No, I always meant to talk to you about it." She felt her stomach churn. "It's called blood bending."

"Blood bending." Zuko repeated, the words tasting like ash on his tongue. Katara gazed out at the oceans before her, and he wished that he'd never asked. The pain on her face was clear.

"I was forced to learn it, by another Southern Bender named Hama. We met her in the Fire Nation, ironically. She was a prisoner for years, stolen from the south. She learnt that where there is water, there is a chance of escape. She… used the water in her prisoner's blood, and… acted puppet master."

"That…" Zuko started, words failing him. Tears welled in her eyes, and he brushed one away as it treacherously fell.

"She taught me so much, and her final lesson was for her to have me take over as the blood bender of the south. She used Aang and Sokka as puppets and I… I had to…" At some point, Zuko had put his arm around her again. They didn't look at one another, but she leant into him and words escaped her. She sniffled, and he squeezed her tight.

"You did what you needed to. You aren't her, Katara. You never will be." She shook her head ferociously, his kind words falling deaf on her ears.

"I am so sorry you had to see it. Why didn't you stop me?" She turned to him, her cerulean blues clouded with more tears that threatened to stream. He could see fear in them, a fear he felt was misplaced.

"You needed to do what was right for you. I only came along to help, not to dictate what you should or shouldn't have done."

"You saw me as a monster." A lone tear slid once more down her cheek. His warm finger caught it, just at the level of her lips.

"I've never seen you as a monster. I've seen you as strong, as brave, and resourceful. You didn't kill Yon Ra, and even if you had, I wouldn't think any less of you."

He kissed the crown of her head, and it took everything in her not to cry.

"I've never seen you as a monster either." She smiled wearily, and she felt his lips on hers.

/

The flight to the Caldera felt simultaneously as the longest flight of their lives and the shortest they'd ever been on. The central city looked dark from above, and Zuko tried to suppress the worries racing through his mind as they flew over the city and toward the Fire Nation Palace. They landed Appa in an area he guaranteed would be safe, and grabbed Katara's hand as they raced through the palace. There was little time for talk, and they ran side-by-side in rhythm, just as they had during their hunt for the Southern Raiders.

He had a feeling he knew where Azula would be, and his instinct was right.

She was a sight, to say the least. As she knelt before the too few Fire Sages, he was instantly reminded of his younger sister in her innocent years. She looked tired – bizarrely fatigued. The pride she had was still present, for sure, but he could see it in her posture that she wasn't herself.

Once he took in her details – her unceremonious robe, her bizarre haircut and the smeared makeup on her face, he knew that she was off. The Azula he had grown to detest was prim, proper, and intimidatingly sharp.

"Sorry, but you're not going to become Fire Lord today." He yelled, interrupting the Fire Sage as he held the crown too close to her head. Azula chuckled, and stood. Even her posture was off. If he didn't know better, he'd say she was drunk. Or possessed.

"You're hilarious." She took one look at Katara, and smirked. "Fine, you want to be fire lord? Let's settle this, brother. The show down that was always meant to be. Agni Kai!"

"You're on."

He didn't even hesitate.

"What are you doing? She knows she can't take us both so she's separating us. She's playing you." Katara whispered, though she noticed Zuko's set features. She knew that look, all too well. His mind was made up.

"I know. But I can take her this time. There's something off about her. I can't explain it. Just this way… no one else has to get hurt."

The heavy meaning behind his words was not lost on her.

/

Surprisingly, Azula did not demand the duel begin there and then, stating that although he may be a traitor, Zuko still needed to follow protocol. She escorts them to an open arena, and Zuko rejected the memories flying towards him from nearly five years prior.

He wasn't that scared, sorry child anymore. He would not bow down to his opponent.

Katara stood on the side lines, every fibre of her being telling her that this was _wrong_ – something was going to go _wrong_. She couldn't pull Zuko aside, she couldn't tell him 'good luck' or that she was prepared to step in for him.

This was about more than just the war now.

"I'm sorry it has to end this way, brother." Azula's voice was chilling, laced with verbal poison. Crouching into position, Zuko found himself oddly detached.

"No, you're not."

Azula's blue flare shot forth at a terrifying speed, meeting Zuko's orange flames in the centre of the arena. Katara had seen fire before – she had seen a _lot_ of fire, at that – but she had never seen fire like _this_.

The flames climbed higher than any building around her, the heat from the blast causing her to break out in a sweat already.

 _This_ was Sozin's Comet.

Both benders appeared to be matched as they sent blow after blow at one another, Zuko uncharacteristically taking on a more defensive approach. He duck and wove between her attacks, redirecting them at times, and Katara almost felt a surge of pride as she saw him utilise some of her water bending training. His footwork was fluid, and Azula seemed to be enraged as he didn't just stop her blasts – he took them in his stride and directed them right back at her.

She could tell he was giving it his all, and that was what scared her the most. They were evenly matched, maybe for the first time in a long time. Fatigue grew on them both, their attacks becoming more desperate. And there she stood, helpless, every vessel in her being electrified.

Her water canister at her side, she debated intervening, but knew that the honour of the two before her would not allow it.

Azula crashed into the ground, her fire-borne flight interrupted by Zuko's wave of flame. She stood up snarling, and Zuko took a defensive stance.

"What, no lightening today?" Zuko taunted. "Scared I'll redirect it?"

Sensing danger, Katara raced from the sidelines to stand behind Zuko. She had seen the aftermath of Azula's lightening once. Never again.

"Oh, I'll show you lightening!" Azula cackled, the air suddenly alive around them. Crackling around her, Azula pulled her ying and yang apart, calling at the whips of lightening to her command.

Inhaling deeply, Zuko stood his ground, ready to redirect the blow. He knew he could do it. He knew this was the end. Uncle had taught him well, and now that he knew what it was like to be a waterbender…

He saw, at the very last second, Azula's eye contact break from him to behind his right shoulder, and the fear he felt in that moment was more than the culmination of fear he'd felt in his life.

 _No._

Everything moved in slow motion, almost as if the world itself had churned to a stop.

He threw his arms down, breaking his stance, wishing more than ever that he was faster. He had to get to her first. He _had_ to.

" _Move! Faster!"_ he commanded himself, his legs feeling like they were made of lead. " _Not her_!"

Katara noticed Zuko's movement before she registered the lightening being thrown at her. She registered Azula's smirk, and in the deep recesses of her mind tried her best to remember how to redirect lightening.

She wasn't a fire bender anymore, but Iroh had learnt from the water benders, right?

Not that it mattered. Her heart felt like it shattered when she saw Zuko's body dive in front of hers, convulsing before her as the lightening pulsed through him. His stance was off. He wasn't trying to re-direct it.

"No!"

/

She smelt burning flesh and could taste blood. It wasn't supposed to end like this.

Not like this.

"ZUKO!"

/

Her body moved without her consent as she stood in to attack the Fire Princess, who stood cackling before her fallen brother.

If it had been a full moon, Katara knew she would use every remaining fibre of her strength to blood bend Azula. She had never felt a white hot rage like this before. Azula jumped back, and Katara changed her direction mid-run. Azula was tired, and whilst Katara wanted nothing more than to take her down, she needed to make sure Zuko was alive.

"Tui and La, help him." She prayed silently. "Agni, please."

She could feel her heart pounding in her throat as she came close to his horribly still frame. Azula stopped her with a stream of fire that made her fingernails curl. There was no safe way to help him, not while the insane princess was active.

Azula taunted, but Katara wasn't listening anymore. She protected herself from the lightening, and sensed the water around her. The air crackled, and though Azula was fast, Katara was faster, surfing on ice to avoid blue flames.

Zuko's body remained lifeless as she used the water in the grates to immobilise Azula. The fear in the princess's eyes was unmistakable. Katara contemplated letting her drown, but that would be a waste of her time and energy.

Once upon a time, she might have felt compassion for the life she contemplated taking.

Katara couldn't feel anything though. Not now.

She was praying to Tui, La and Yue that he was still breathing as she chained Azula down. She was praying to Agni that she wasn't too late.

She caught her breath, reinforced the binds, and ran.

He was still breathing. He was still fighting.

Using the water from her pouch, she reached down to him and turned him over, her cold hands immediately pressing against his chest with a blue light. She could feel his chi fighting the damage from the lightening, and saw the path it took.

Even in mid dive, he had managed to redirect it. It had entered in his chest, far too close to his weakly beating heart, and left through his right hand. Tears once again filled her vision, and a voice in the back of Katara's mind asked her when she had become such a cry-baby.

He was burnt, and she restitched as much tissue as she could without wasting time. Now was not the time to fully heal him. Here was not the place.

She heard him breathe a shaky thank you, and it was his voice that broke her.

Tears streaming down her face, she resisted the urge to bury herself in him.

"I'm the one who should be thanking you."

/

They stood together, supporting one another in more ways than just physical, as they watched Azula descend further into madness.

It almost broke their collective hearts.

Almost.

/

An elderly man gingerly approached them as they stood before the screaming princess, and Katara commanded a wave that threatened to push him down.

"The white lotus opens wide to those who know her secrets!" He yelled, the words jumbled as he spoke in haste. Katara narrowed her eyes in confusion and distrust, but she felt Zuko's hand over her raised arm. Hesitantly, she lowered her arm, but she kept the water at her side, ready to strike. She was in enemy territory, and until they got confirmation that Aang had defeated Ozai, she knew she couldn't rest.

"We have orders from the Grand Lotus Iroh to escort you to the palace once the battle here has been won." His eyes locked on to Katara's. "The both of you. He asked us to ensure the room had plenty of water for your to work with."

"He knew I'd be here? But we only decided…" She started, but fatigue got in the way. "Please, where do we need to go?"

The fire sage lead them away, helping carry some of Zuko's weight, and Zuko was grateful that they made it into a room before the comet had finished its journey. He could feel the life drain out of him by the second, and knew he wouldn't be able to hold on to consciousness much longer.

The room they entered was grand, and Katara was thankful to see several buckets of water throughout the room. She suspected there was a warm bath in the next room, but she was too tired to investigate.

"What of Azula?" She asked as the Sage started to walk away. He smiled cryptically at her, and bowed his head.

"I believe you are familiar with Shirsu venom and chi blocking? The lotus has many petals, and we work in harmony within these grounds. Do not fear, your hard work will not be undone. Now, if you may excuse me, Lady Katara." He bowed, and promptly left.

"…Lady?" She pondered, before hearing Zuko groan. She rushed to his side, and her hands were coated in her healing blue before either could speak.

"I'm here Zuko, I'm here."

"Katara, I…"

"Shhh, shh. It's OK. I'm here." She leant down and kissed his forehead, watching as he finally lost the fight for consciousness.

/


	23. Ending & Epilogue

**Chapter Twenty-Three**

Zuko was the first to awaken, feeling the strength of the rising sun accumulate within himself. The first thing he registered was a burning in his chest, and he sat upright in a panic, one word on his lips.

"Azula!" He shouted, then grasping at his wound in agony. Nausea washed over his body, and he tasted bile. His movements and voice was enough to awaken Katara, who lay on the same large mattress.

"Zuko!" she too sat up in a hurry, her vision blurry from the sudden movement.

A moment later, she felt her memories come back in a flood.

"Katara." He breathed, relief washing over him. "Sorry. Hi." He tried to muster a smile, though it looked more like a grimace.

"Morning." She replied, knitting her brows together with worry. "What's wrong? Is it your..." she reached out to touch his chest, stopping just before her fingers could graze his skin. Sensing her hesitation, Zuko held her hand in his.

"It's a small price to pay to ensure you remained safe." He whispered, his pain suddenly all but forgotten. Instead, all he could feel was were butterflies in his stomach. "I'm so... so glad you're safe."

"Zuko..." blushing, she found it difficult to meet his intense gaze. "I'm... I'm so sorry..." tears welled in her eyes, her emotions from the battle prior now presenting themselves. "If I hadn't... I don't know why she... and if I couldn't get to you..."

"Katara, Azula prays on weakness."

"But, I was able to defeat her, I wasn't weak..." Zuko smiled softly at her, wiping a tear from her cheek with his thumb.

"Not your weakness. Mine." He confessed.

The silence in the room was fleeting, but it pounded against his ears. His mind sprung to action. What if he was wrong – what if she only was interested in him because he was the only one around during the war? What if she was only using him? What if…

A beat later, he felt her hands against both sides of his face, and her lips brush his gently.

"I don't think I am your weakness, Zuko. You are my strength, and I may be wrong, but I think I am yours too."

Uncharacteristic tears welled in his eyes, and he smiled so big that his cheeks hurt.

"You are."

/

The day passed agonisingly slow for the pair, as they washed, healed, and waited.

The only people in the palace were the members of the Order of the White Lotus, whose numbers surprised Katara. She had counted eight, and she knew she had not met them all yet. Over a modest meal, they learnt that General Iroh had planted members of the Order in the palace years prior, before Zuko's banishment. He had known that, should he be banished from the castle for any reason, he would need men and women on the inside who Ozai _thought_ he could trust – planting members after he had left would have roused suspicion. It was how Iroh had known about the occurrences within the palace during their years at sea, and how Zuko and Katara were instantly aided after the takedown of Azula.

Zuko wasn't surprised. Nothing about his Uncle really surprised him anymore.

As the sun set, they tried their best to reassure one another that a lack of news was good news.

Should Ozai have won, they would know.

Right?

/

That night, they comfortably curled up in one another's arms, surrounded by silken sheets and silence. Zuko had taken down as much Fire Nation Propaganda as he could before they settled back into his old room – the sight of it made them both uneasy. The sages had also helped transfer the buckets from their initial room into Zuko's suite on Katara's request.

"You know my bending is better at night." She shrugged when Zuko questioned her.

"I have water in the pipes in the washroom." Zuko retorted, his comment met by a shaking head.

"It would be too slow to call." She said simply, and suddenly he understood. They had convinced themselves that no news was good news, but they had lived in war for longer than they could remember, and she couldn't let her guard down.

"Is it really over?" She whispered, snapping Zuko from his thoughts.

"I don't know." He breathed, his arms tightening around her slightly. "I hope so."

"What will happen now?"

"Well," he started, propping himself up, playing with her hair in his fingers. "Aang, Sokka, Toph, Suki and Uncle will come back here first, and we will all spend time recovering. We don't know the injuries they have…" quickly he cleared his throat, not wanting to go down that path. "Then, we will start to re-build. I'll have to stay here, and re-hire all the people Azula fired."

Katara snorted.

"Those poor people." She laughed, having heard of one girl who was fired for not de-pitting cherries.

"With Uncle's help, I'll start writing laws and treaties. It'll take a long time, but I want to work with Aang too, so the Fire Nation is no longer feared in the long run."

"You'll be a great team." She smiled.

"Then, I suppose, I'll be crowned as Fire Lord. I mean, I could try to convince Uncle to renounce his abdication, but…" he sighed deeply. "I couldn't take him away from his tea shop." He was rewarded with a light rustle of his hair, and Katara aww'd at him. He brushed her hand away, and kissed her on the forehead. "What… what do you think you'll do?"

"I don't know." She replied simply. "I need to go back to the South Pole, I need to see my people. Knowing Sokka, he'll bring Suki along, and I think we'll work on re-building my home. Hopefully we'll have the help of our Northern brothers and sisters, and I think we've met enough Earthbenders to help with the basic building too. Then…" she faltered, not knowing what to say next.

"And then?" He asked, his heart in his throat. He wanted more than anything to say he wanted – no, needed – her to come back to the Fire Nation… but she wouldn't be Katara if she didn't have a heart of gold, and he wasn't going to be surprised if she said she was going to travel and help re-build other nations.

"Well, I want to continue to help." She sighed simply. "I just don't know where I'd be of most use."

"You could travel to the Earth Kingdom, and help the refugees. I'm sure you and some of the northern healers would be much needed."

She opened her mouth, but he cut her off.

"Or you could stay within the Water Tribes, and take a political role, helping shape the future."

Again, she opened her mouth to respond, but he continued.

"Or," he said, almost breathlessly, "you could come back here. You could help me with public relations, be a voice of reason to my hot-headedness. Agni knows I need it. You could stay here, show the world that all the nations can work together, live together, _be_ together." He almost felt like he was pleading, which he never thought he would do. " _We_ … could… be together." He swallowed.

"I don't want to pressure you." He added quickly. "I don't want to force you. I just…"

The silence pounded at his eardrums once more.

"You really shouldn't cut a Lady off when she's trying to speak, Lord Zuko." She teased, after an agonisingly long time. "I don't know what I want to do yet. But I feel, so strongly, that my destiny will put me wherever you are."

"I love you, Katara." He whispered.

He thought he had felt warmth before, but nothing compared to the warmth that washed over him when she said it back.

/

/

 **EPILOGUE:**

The rest of the Gaang re-joined them after another day, battered, bruised, but triumphant.

Zuko's prediction was right – the group stayed together for several weeks, regaining the strength to travel whilst simultaneously helping Zuko re-build the Fire Nation from the ashes.

When it came time to travel back to the South Pole, the goodbyes were bittersweet. Iroh was the only one who stayed with Zuko, although he warned that Ba Sing Se would call his name any day now.

The South was cold, but it harboured a new warmth as the Sokka, Katara and the Southern Warriors were celebrated as heroes returning home. Unbeknownst to the Gaang, fleets of Northern Tribe Members had already anchored on the Sothern boarder – under Master Pakku's orders – and restoration of the Southern Water Tribe was already well under-way. No longer were they living in huts and sleeping with fear that their tents would breakdown – the Southern Tribe was expanding and its foundations were sturdy.

Toph had decided to stay in the Fire Nation for a time, before heading back to the Earth Kingdom. She wrote to the rest of the group using Zuko as her eyes and hands during the months she was in the Fire Nation, though her letters from the Earth Kingdom were always by a different author – The Boulder, Haru, Pipsqueek, and even Longshot had leant their vision to keeping Toph in touch. She was looking at starting a school, and hoped that her friends would visit soon.

Months passed within the blink of an eye, and their once humble village was beginning to stand tall, a phenomenal change which had been a long time coming. Of course, Katara was happy to help where she could, and split her time between helping the builders and coaching the healers who wanted to stay in the south. Sokka had to say goodbye to Suki, who had her own village to return to, but not before promising her that he would visit soon and bring her back with him.

Katara and Zuko exchanged many letters, and in one letter she was invited to officially be an ambassador for the Southern Water Tribe – of which she immediately accepted. Sokka was also asked to be, as the future Chief of the South, and he too agreed to Zuko's request.

Aang spent many months in the south, helping where he could, but one day he stood before the Chief and his family and announced he would soon be embarking on another long mission. He told the family that he had a dream the night prior, where he saw himself surrounded by nomads clad in orange and yellow, and when he awoke he knew that he had found the next step in his destiny. They, of course, were happy to hear how excited he was, but were also saddened that their friend would soon be leaving. Hakoda stated they needed to send him off in style, and that they would host a banquet in the Avatar's honour before seeing him off on Appa.

It took all the courage she had for Katara to ask if she could join him – at least, for a time. She was worried she would come across as turning her back on her people, but those who knew her best knew that she was able to do more good in the world outside of their Southern walls. Regretfully but proudly, Hakoda and Sokka watched as Katara left with Aang, and although she visited several times, Katara could never say she called the south 'home' ever again.

She and Aang spent a further several months travelling in the Earth Kingdom, helping villages along the way where they could, and learning more about the progress in the restoration of peace. All the while, Katara was exchanging letters with the Fire Lord, both political in nature and personal.

When she next stepped foot into the Fire Nation, it was not as a child of war – a warrior determined to end the fighting. It was as an ambassador and a personal friend to the Fire Lord.

It didn't take long before she was introduced as more than the Fire Lord's friend.

It did, however, take five years before Zuko had plucked the courage (and felt that things had finally settled down enough) to hand her a carved necklace, symbolising his wish that they marry.

She had her doubts of how well she would fit the role of Fire Lady, but Katara knew that if they could make it through the years of war, fighting, anger, pain, hurt and build a life of trust, love and security… together, they could do anything.

/

 **Got really sappy there.**

 **Sorry the epilogue isn't much - I just had to tell you a little about what I wanted to see in the future!**


	24. Author's Notes & Thoughts

**Author's Notes:**

I started this story over a year ago, with the sole intention of having it done within a week or two - how wrong was I?  
I had a little idea in my head - "what happens if the Gaang had their bending switched? And how can I make it Zutara?" and _voila_ , this baby was born. I only knew where I wanted to story to go, but not how long it would take me to get there. I wasn't sure what I was hoping for, but overall, I really am happy with what I've produced. I know I'm not a novelist by far, but this has been my longest project yet. 110 pages (size 11 font). 49,500 words. Does my writing change tones sometimes? Yes. Am I great writer? Probably not. Should I have proof-read more before publishing? Yeah, probably. Am I still happy with what I've achieved? Absolutely.

I suffered from writer's block for so long, and honestly it is pure stubbornness that made me finish this story. Today, July 1st 2018, I was bored, and decided to check my reviews on this story after not writing for three months. There were no new reviews for three months. I was sad at first, but thought, well, if you don't write, how will anyone read, and how will anyone think to review? So I sat down, and even though I had _no_ idea what to write, I finished this story. I'm so happy I did.

Something that always bugged me in other FanFiction is pacing - when character A suddenly falls in love with character B and its reciprocated and by Chapter 2 or 3 they're saying "I Love You" and the like. There's nothing _wrong_ with that - hell, I know it happens in real life too! - but I always found myself liking the slower paced romance much more. I've never tried to create a slow paced romance before (in fact, my only romances were written ~10yrs ago and are awful - so bad it's funny!), so this was a challenge, but I am pretty happy with the result.

Also, I always hated reading a great story, then finding out it went on hiatus like 3 years ago! "Come on damn it, finish your stories!" I would think, hypocritically. So, I am glad to say I am no longer one of those authors!

What I'm trying to say is - although this isn't the best work out there, I am proud of myself. I have re-read my story, and I'm happy with how most things have come out. I'll always be critical of my work ,and there is always room for improvement, but I sincerely hope you've enjoyed this story too.

To all 48 of you who have reviewed (well, less because some of you beautiful people have come back more than once) - **thank you**. Really, thank you. Thank you very, very much.

To all of you who have read this story and have not reviewed - **thank you.** Seriously, thank you. Thank you for deciding to spend your precious time reading words I have strung together with my brain, and thank you for sticking around til now. Thank you.

Thank you, everyone.

I hope, at some point, this story made you feel something - a good something, hopefully!

I hope you all have a reason to smile today.

Thank you.

Kris

* * *

 **SPECIAL UPDATE:**

Thank you _Desy_ for pointing out that in Chapter 19; I accidentally referenced Katara putting water in her flask. It actually was an original plot point - I had made it so their bending was returned when Aang returned, but couldn't think of reasons why... and then I had the grand ole idea of making _Operation: Melon Lord_ a thing, so I changed where I was going with the story, but not that line - thank you so so much for letting me know! :)

Also, thank you _Guest_ , for informing me that FFN had messed up a previous version of Ch 23! It happened a few times, no idea why or how, but I have fixed it :)

And thank you **EVERYONE** for your reviews so far, all 53 of them! I love you all :)

A few thank yous:

\- Desy (x2, and p.s. I hope to one day elaborate on the Aang & Toph side of things, but that's for another day :) and I have some one-shot ideas swimming around too RE: the end of the story - hence why I had a quick epilogue - so I may come back to them too!)

\- TallieCat

\- BUBU30

\- Guest (unsure how many of you there are, but thank you all the same!)

\- Forbidden-Hanyou (x2)

\- CutestTrex

\- Platelmintes

\- RapunzelxEugene4Ever (x3)

\- JuiceoftheORANGE (x2)

\- G0d3ss0fD1sc0rd

\- Kelana-ti

\- UnicornWithABananaHorn

\- Mysteric-Hysteric

\- Doctorherondalestark

\- SmidgenGirl

\- Jackieee.98 (x2)

\- Texcatlipoka (x2)

\- RedCat

\- Darkgrounder

\- Eolain (x2)

\- ArtiliaTheHun

\- Anonymous23 (x7 - thank you so much for all your support along the way)

\- Silferdeath

\- SernaJ (x3)

\- MissZeldaSayre

\- ML9881

\- Babyg14

I've read every single review along the way, and appreciate every single one of you :)

Have a lovely day,

Kris


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